The Old Cotton Blues [Hardcover]

Linda England (Author), Teresa Flavin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998 | Age Level: 4 and up

Dexter, who desperately wants to play a musical instrument, learns to play the harmonica with the help of the old musician Johnny Cotton.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2ADexter is bursting with music. As he listens to old Johnny Cotton play the blues on his clarinet, he knows he, too, wants to hold music in his hands. Dexter's mama tells him that there is money for rent and food, but not for a clarinet. Johnny's solution is to pass along the harmonica that belonged to his daddy; the one he used to blow "the sounds that made people weep and laugh." When Dexter first blows on it, the sounds are "mingle-mangle, mishamasha music." With practice, he's soon playing side by side with Johnny Cotton. While this is not such a new idea for a story, it is made special by the author's wonderful ability to describe how the music can make Dexter feelA"the blue-down blues, and the deep-down-shaking, slow-laughing feel-goods." There are moments that make readers ache, much like a really low-down blues can reach inside the soul. Flavin's softly colored illustrations, in gouache on tinted paper, capture the mood of the music and Dexter's ups and downs. When Johnny talks about his daddy, the man is shown in heaven, "playing blues for angels, making sunlight dance" or hovering over Johnny's shoulder, smiling his approval of the gift. Dexter is an African-American city boy; his story takes place on the stoops and sidewalks of his neighborhood. However, he could be any child whose need to make music is so heartfelt. A great read-aloud, this book could set the stage for a whole unit about how music moves us.AKaren Breen, New Visions for Public Schools, New York City
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-7. Dexter loves three things: his mama, the smell of pork chops frying, and the sound of Johnny Cotton's clarinet. He dreams of "holding music in his hands," too. But Mama explains that their money must go for rent instead of musical instruments, and Dexter feels the "no-clarinet blues." Johnny Cotton knows a way to help Dexter become "a player of his feelings," though, and soon the man and the boy are swaying and playing "The Old Cotton Blues" together. England's musical language and rhythmic style invite reading aloud, and Flavin's gouache illustrations on tinted paper add their own dancing energy to a simple but satisfying story. Michael Cart

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1st edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689810741
• ISBN-13: 978-0689810749
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,392,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Story about a boy who wants a clarinet., June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Old Cotton Blues (Hardcover)

The story is about a little boy who wants a clarinet but his family cannot afford one. A friend passes down a harmonica and Dexter practices playing it until he can play the blues.