DIZZY

written by Jonah Winter
illustrated by Sean Qualls

From the author of FRIDA comes a jangly, jumpy, bebopping book about Dizzy Gillespie, the clown prince of jazz.

This is the story of Dizzy Gillespie, a real cool cat who must have been born with a horn in his hands, judging from the way he played the trumpet. Jazz was his ticket on a train to better days, and he left his hard life in a small town for New York City and the hottest band around. But did Dizzy stand straight and play right? NO! He was a clown. He hit high notes, low notes, never-been-heard notes, and before he knew it, Dizzy created a whole new music: BEBOP.

This is a story about a boy who breaks all the rules -- and finds his own personal heaven along the way.

AWARDS

Kirkus Best Book of 2006
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Booklist Editors' Choices
Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Book

"Qualls's acrylic, collage, and pencil illustrations swing across the large pages with unique, jazzy rhythms, varying type sizes and colors, and playful perspectives, perfectly complementing the text."
- School Library Journal, starred review

"Qualls's acrylic-and-collage images employ a muted palette of pinks and blues and beiges, and compositions vary from scenes of daily life to poster-like montages, effectively establishing Gillespie as larger than life."
- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"....Qualls is able to translate the story (and the music) into shapes and colors that undulate and stream across the pages with a beat and bounce of their own."
- Booklist, starred review