Georgia Music [Hardcover]

Helen V. Griffith (Author), James Stevenson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1986 | Age Level: 4 and up

A little girl and her grandfather share two different kinds of music, that of his mouth organ and that of the birds and insects around his cabin.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An old man lives by himself in a cabin in Georgia; in the summer he works in his garden. One summer his granddaughter comes for a long visit: "The old man never said how he felt about that, but he didn't seem to mind." They worked together in the mornings, but at noon, "It was so quiet they could hear the leaves touching each other, and the bumblebees bumbling, and the crickets and grasshoppers whirring and scratching." At night, he plays songs on the mouth organ. When he gets too old to live in the cabin, he goes North to live with the girl and her mother. He's sad, but the little girl, on the mouth organ, recreates the songs he once played at night and the noise of the cricket chirps and tree-frog trills, bringing the Georgia music back for them both. This is a lovely, lyrical story, told with sensitivity; Stevenson's illustrations capture the stoical character of the old man, whether he is hoeing in a straw hat and suspenders or in a sweater and tie, shoulders a little more slumped, staring at the city lights. The sunset-hued watercolors beautifully evoke the sights and sounds of a hot Georgia summer.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 An old man and his granddaughter lead a quiet, simple life during the summer that she visits him in Georgia; working in the garden and playing the mouth organ are their chief pasttimes. There is sadness in their autumn parting, but the girl's mother promises a return visit. However, the following summer finds Granddaddy so ill that they close up his cabin and bring him back to Baltimore to live with them. For a long time the old man simply sits and stares into space, unmoved by the little girl's efforts to draw him out, until she finds his mouth organ and begins to play the sounds she remembered from Georgia. This elicits his first responsea laugh and a whispered phrase that they often shared in the past. The story unwinds slowly and with an appealing gentleness, matched beautifully by Stevenson's softly-toned watercolors, and the relationship between the old man and his granddaughter is delineated in a delightfully understated manner. A very special love story to share with an individual or a group. Kathleen Brachmann, Highland Park Public Library, Ill.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1ST edition (August 18, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688060714
• ISBN-13: 978-0688060718
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,309,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching and heart warming., September 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Georgia Music (Paperback)

Reading this book to your child will remind you of how loving and caring your child is in his or her own way. How children love to imitate the adults around them because they admire them, want to spend time with them, and love to help. But most of all how in their innocense they can persive our state of mind and and give us in a simple act more love than we ever thought possible.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book ever, September 15, 2011

By 

Jonathan Pote (Mississippi State, MS United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Georgia Music (Paperback)

This is one of those books you will hunt down to buy for relatives and friends. I am from the South so it is possible that it holds a stronger appeal for Southerners, but I truly think its truth is universal. A young girl who grows up in the city spends a summer with her grandfather in the rural South and learns to love it. Later, she repays his generosity in a way that will make you cry every time you read it

If I had to reduce my shelf ofchildren's books to five, this one would be there.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, even 10 years later, September 25, 2010

By 

L. Lynn (Elberta, AL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Georgia Music (Paperback)

I read this book to my kids when they were young. The youngest is now 17! I saw a friend's mockingbird comment on Facebook yesterday and it immediately reminded me of this book. After 10 years, I couldn't remember the name, but Amazon's Advanced search helped me find it since I remembered the word Georgia in the title and that it was over pretty old. Anyone who grew up spending any significant summer time outside where the crickets and birds make music can relate to this book. The story and illustration is simple and touching and will probably be more meaningful to the adult reader than to the child. I recommend it highly for preschoolers.