Trombone Shorty by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Illustrated by Bryan Collier was a Caldecott Honor book this year. The Caldecott is an award given for the best illustrations, and Collier has won an Honor 4 times. Collier has illustrated some books that I really love, like Martin's Big Words. That is another really great book.
This book, Trombone Shorty is an autobiography. Therefore it is a non-fiction, true, book about the author's life. For an autobiography written in picture book format it really is well done. The pictures are phenomenal, hence winning the honor award, and the storyline is interesting.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is a really great book, and I think it would make a great addition to most elementary school libraries as well as public libraries. Younger children, especially 1st through 5th grade will enjoy this book. Musically minded children will love it, and music teachers will be able to find useful in class. Librarians and teachers will be able to use this book for many different lessons.
Boys and girls alike will enjoy this book, and the pictures and somewhat shorter text (especially short for a biography book) will make it a great read aloud. The only reason this book lost a star is b/c the writing of the book was just okay. It was good, but the writing could've been more fluid.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun informational book about an impressive music artist.
Amazon had the follow book review from School Library Journal:
""Where y'at?" Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty, opens his book with this phrase, letting readers know that it's New Orleans parlance for hello. In this stunning picture book autobiography, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Andrews shares the story of his early years growing up in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans. Andrews desperately wished to emulate the musicians in his family and those he saw performing all over his city, so he and his friends made their own instruments out of found materials, played in the streets, and marched with bands. When one day he found a battered, discarded trombone bigger than he was, Andrews finally had a real instrument to play, and he practiced day and night, acquiring the nickname Trombone Shorty from his older brother. The moment Bo Diddley pulled Andrews on stage to play with him during the New Orleans jazz festival was a turning point, and he hasn't stopped performing since. Collier's beautiful watercolor, pen-and-ink, and collage artwork picks up the rhythm and pace of Andrew's storytelling, creating an accompaniment full of motion and color. Each spread offers a visual panoply of texture, perspective, and angles, highlighting the people and the instruments. Andrews's career is still on the rise, his music gaining an ever wider audience, and this title will be an inspiration to many. VERDICT Coupled with a selection of Trombone Shorty's music, this work will make for fun and thoughtful story sharing. A must-have."
Happy Musical Autobiography reading!
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