
Written by Jonah Winter · Illustrated by Keith Mallett
A bold young pianist on old New Orleans streets claims he invented a brand-new music.
In the musical streets of New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century, a boy named Ferdinand grows up to become Jelly Roll Morton, a piano player with big talent and an even bigger boast: that he invented jazz. Told in rhythmic language that riffs on the sounds of the era, this picture-book biography introduces one of the early heroes of American jazz.
In this unusual and inventive picture book that riffs on the language and rhythms of old New Orleans, noted picture book biographer Jonah Winter (Dizzy, Frida, You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?) turns his focus to one of America’s early jazz heroes in this perfectly pitched book about Jelly Roll Morton. Gorgeously illustrated by fine artist Keith Mallett, a newcomer to picture books, this biography will transport readers young and old to the musical, magical streets of New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century. A Neal Porter Book
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