Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix

by Gary Golio, Javaka Steptoe (Illustrator)

Overview

Jimi Hendrix was many things: a superstar, a rebel, a hero, an innovator. But first, he was a boy named Jimmy who loved to draw and paint and listen to records. A boy who played air guitar with a broomstick and longed for a real guitar of his own. A boy who asked himself a question: Could someone paint pictures with sound?
     This a story of a talented child who learns to see, hear, and interpret the world around him in his own unique way. It is also a story of a determined kid with a vision, who worked hard to become a devoted and masterful artist. Jimi Hendrix—a groundbreaking performer whose music shook the very foundations of rock 'n' roll.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618852796
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/04/2010
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,139,268
Product dimensions:	10.50(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD900L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Gary Golio is the New York Times bestselling author of Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix. He has also counseled children and teens in the area of addiction. Gary lives with his wife, the author Susanna Reich, in Ossining, New York. To learn more, please visit www.garygolio.com.

Javaka Steptoe is a Caldecott Medalist, Coretta Scott King Award winner, and New York Times best-selling picture book creator. He has illustrated several books for children, including Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix by Gary Golio, A Pocketful of Poems by Nikki Grimes, and Radiant Child, which he also wrote. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit him online at javaka.com and on Twitter @javaka_steptoe.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustrator

"This book is likely to fascinate older children and reluctant readers who might be familiar with Hendrix’s music, and could easily be tied into art and music curricula."—School Library Journal, starred review

"The author—an artist and clinical social worker—lucidly demonstrates that a path to creative excellence is not only possible for young people but self-actualizing."—Kirkus, starred review

"Valuable lessons underlie newcomer Golio's account of Hendrix's life: important work can be done by young people; artistry develops slowly, through careful work; and surroundings that appear hostile to creativity can just as well nurture it."—Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Valuable lessons underlie newcomer Golio's account of Hendrix's life: important work can be done by young people; artistry develops slowly, through careful work; and surroundings that appear hostile to creativity can just as well nurture it. Golio describes the sonic landscape of Hendrix's youth--"A truck engine backfired, pounding like a bass drum, as a neighbor's rake played snare against the sidewalk"--and builds on Hendrix's discoveries with his guitar until his creations begin to satisfy him: "Jimmy was finally painting with sound!" He emphasizes the significance of Hendrix's friendships with two boys, Terry and Potato Chip, and the support of his father, who buys him a "new white Supro Ozark" electric guitar even when money is tight. Steptoe (Amiri and Odette) builds distinctive three-dimensional artwork by painting plywood portraits of Jimmy and his friends and stacking them on painted backgrounds. Vintage images like vinyl records and old packaging vie for attention; there's constant movement. The story ends at the height of Hendrix's success; an afterword gives a more detailed biographical sketch, and author/illustrator notes explain their connections to his story. Ages 6–9. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustrator "This book is likely to fascinate older children and reluctant readers who might be familiar with Hendrix’s music, and could easily be tied into art and music curricula."—School Library Journal, starred review "The author—an artist and clinical social worker—lucidly demonstrates that a path to creative excellence is not only possible for young people but self-actualizing."—Kirkus, starred review "Valuable lessons underlie newcomer Golio's account of Hendrix's life: important work can be done by young people; artistry develops slowly, through careful work; and surroundings that appear hostile to creativity can just as well nurture it."—Publishers Weekly —

From the Publisher

Gr 4–8—Before he was famous, little Jimmy Hendrix tuned into a world colored with the sounds of the city outside the Seattle boarding house where he lived with his father. As a boy he strove to reproduce those sounds on his one-string ukulele, and eventually on a secondhand guitar. Golio's lyrical text sings with delicious description, and Steptoe's wildly colored mixed-media illustrations show the hues of the boy's imagination, with Hendrix always standing out from his surroundings. The story itself focuses on the musician's rise to fame, with a supplementary note and a bibliography providing more detailed background information. His tragic death is dealt with in a separate author's note, accompanied by a list of resources about substance abuse. A fascinating "Illustrator's Note" illuminates the process behind the intriguing artwork and underscores the book's theme of exploring the creative process. This book is likely to fascinate older children and reluctant readers who might be familiar with Hendrix's music, and could easily be tied into art and music curricula.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

School Library Journal

Golio examines Jimi Hendrix's childhood creativity as a nurtured progression that stoked an explosively influential expression in the '60s. From drawing, painting and coaxing the sounds of raindrops out of a one-string ukulele, Jimmy (he became Jimi as an adult) acquires a $5 acoustic guitar and then a cheap electric model, which was "to Jimmy... pure gold." Playing along with radio tunes, haunting Seattle record stores and devouring his father's jazz and blues LPs, Jimmy turns a curiosity into a passion. The author—an artist and clinical social worker—lucidly demonstrates that a path to creative excellence is not only possible for young people but self-actualizing. In a note, he writes candidly about Hendrix's addiction, offering prevention websites for children and teens. Steptoe's superb mixed-media illustrations consciously utilize dual techniques, echoing Jimi's artistic maturation. On reclaimed plywood, sketchy pastel cutouts float against brilliantly vivid, photo-collaged impasto. Outstanding in every way. (biographical note, author's note, websites, illustrator's note, bibliography, discography) (Picture book/biography. 6-11)

Kirkus Reviews