This the story of Louis Armstrong, one of the greatest cornet players to come out of New Orleans, Louisiana. But life wasn't easy for young Louis who wanted to play music so badly so that he could bring home a few pennies to help his family. Music was everywhere in New Orleans, but Louis became a victim of the world in which he led and in the long run he learned the business of making toe tapping music from New Orleans.
Bibliography:
Orgill, Roxanne. "If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong". Houghton Mifflin Hartcourt, 1997.
My Impressions:
This storybook is another example of good storytelling and great illustrations. I read this book a few times because I could feel New Orleans come alive through the story and could see the hard knocks that a young Louis Armstrong endured. This is a good inspirational book for inner-city kids struggling through life.
Reviews:
Wesley Ellen Gregory - Children's Literature
This is a short but interesting book about young Louis Armstrong and how he grew up to become a musician. This book describes how he lived with his mother, Mayann, and his younger sister, "Mama Lucy." Louis was sent to a small, boarding school where he learned how to play music. At the end of the school year, his teacher presented him with a tattered, old cornet. He came home singing and playing his horn, filling his cap with pennies and even dollars. Louis grew up to be a famous musician. Leonard Jenkins's artwork is beautiful and helps to bring the story to life! This story is mainly for people who love music or enjoy reading books about musicians. The author got her idea from two earlier books, Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans and Swing That Music, autobiographies written by Louis Armstrong. 2002 (orig. 1997), Houghton Mifflin Company,
School Library Journal
Gr 2-5According to an author's note, many stories exist about the esteemed Louis Armstrong, especially in regard to his first encounters with a trumpet. To tell a story that is as "true as possible" to Armstrong's character, Orgill has sifted through his autobiographies and through various biographies to fashion this musically charged tale. Young Louis's love of song and dance is well known in the streets of New Orleans, but his exuberance gets the best of him one wild New Year's Eve, and after shooting an old .38 into the air, he finds himself in the Colored Waifs' Home. There, a Mr. Davis takes an interest; he makes the boy learn rhythm on a drum and practice "mellow tones" on an old bugle before giving him a cornetbut finally, Louis's dream comes true. As the story ends, Louis leads a band down Liberty street and, as we know, marches into musical history. A more hardened tale than Alan Schroeder and Floyd Cooper's admittedly "fictional re-creation" Satchmo's Blues (Doubleday, 1996), this account is probably closer to the truth. Using the two books together, however, could give teachers a great platform for discussing truth in biography. In tune with the text, Jenkins peoples the story with a rich array of faces and backs the characters with montages of swirling colors in acrylic, pastel, and spray paint to create a setting that pulses with the sounds of jazz.Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Suggested Use:
1. This would be great in a display for Black Heritage Week and as part of Music class inspirational story.
2. I would use this as part of social studies and visiting cities around the country to give students a flavor what other cities and people have to offer.
Book Cover:
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