Sweethearts of Rhythm [Hardcover]

Marilyn Nelson (Author), Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

In the 1940s, as the world was at war, a remarkable jazz band performed on the American home front. This all-female band, originating from a boarding school in the heart of Mississippi, found its way to the most famous ballrooms in the country, offering solace during the hard years of the war. They dared to be an interracial group despite the cruelties of Jim Crow laws, and they dared to assert their talents though they were women in a ?man?s? profession. Told in thought-provoking poems and arresting images, this unusual look at our nation?s history is deep and inspiring.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 4 Up—Nelson's syncopated poetry jives perfectly with Pinkney's layered watercolors in this look at the famous all-girl African-American swing band that toured the U.S., breaking attendance records, from 1937 to 1946. Nelson speaks in the voices of the band's instruments, reminiscing about their glory days from the shelves of a New Orleans pawnshop, recalling the excitement of the road and the difficulties of Jim Crow. Her poetry evokes the rich wail of swing music with varied meters, rhyme schemes, and free verse, calling up memories of the Dust Bowl, World War II, rationing, segregation, and music that momentarily lifted its listeners above hardship. Pinkney employs graphite, color pencil, watercolor, and collage in lusciously hued illustrations depicting night clubs, dancers, Victory Gardens, marching soldiers, and musicians in a vibrant volume that will be just as useful in high school history and English classrooms as for upper elementary general reading, not to mention music and art at any level. A chronology of the Sweethearts' history enhances the poetry.—Joyce Adams Burner, National Archives at Kansas City, MO END

Review

"Nelson brings her signature poetic treatment of history to this outstanding collaboration...The book...is a stellar integration of art and text." --Kirkus

"Nelson's syncopated poetry jives perfectly with Pinkney's layered watercolors...a vibrant volume." --School Library Journal

"[A] book with rich rewards." --Horn Book

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Dial; First Edition edition (October 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803731876
• ISBN-13: 978-0803731875
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, November 4, 2009

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweethearts of Rhythm (Hardcover)

The late 1930s saw the formation of a swing-music band comprised of female students attending the Piney Woods Country Life School in Mississippi for low-income and orphaned African American students. Originally founded to raise money for the school, this big band had such talent and attracted so much attention that it toured all over the country and played to record-breaking crowds in such notable venues as the Howard Theatre, the Apollo Theatre, and the Savoy Ballroom.

The International Sweethearts of Rhythm stood out for their ability to be taken seriously as musicians in the male-dominated world of jazz. The departure of many male musicians to serve in World War II helped this all-female band gain a foothold in the American music scene, but they continued to tour and record songs even after the war ended. The Sweethearts also stood out for their courage to defy the Southern Jim Crow laws and play as a racially-integrated band, which meant avoiding arrest by having the white members of the band wear wigs and dark makeup.

Rather than report these interesting events as a detailed narrative, Marilyn Nelson has chosen to communicate the band's story as a set of rhythmic poems written in the voices of the instruments. Jerry Pinkney has added further to the richness of the book with collages of different shapes of textured papers, music sheets, maps, and flowers superimposed on his dynamic sketches. The meticulous research that both Nelson and Pinkney conducted shines through clearly to make this volume a uniquely expressive work of historical fiction.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marilyn Nelson and Jerry Pinkney have the rhythm down perfectly in this one and you certainly won't regret or forget the read!, December 22, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweethearts of Rhythm (Hardcover)

A tenor sax rested on its stand and a trombone quietly lay in its case in a pawnshop. The door to the shop was closed and the instruments began to talk of their "glory years on the road with an all-girl band." They all began to swing and sway in remembrance of a time and a band long since forgotten by most. Decades earlier there was a time when men had gone off to war and jazz musicians were needed. The Piney Woods Country Life School, in Piney Woods Mississippi was founded by Laurence Jones in 1909. Eighteen years later he gathered together some of the girls from the school to form a jazz band.

They were predominantly African American, but there were others. There was a "Chinese Saxophonist, a Hawaiian trumpeter, and a Mexican clarinetist." They represented the world as so became known as the "International Sweethearts of Rhythm." They soon began touring, but later broke from the school. They weren't being "paid a fair wage." They knew how to swing and entrance an audience. They were some of the best musicians the states had to offer. They were hot!

It Don't Mean A Thing
Pauline Braddy On Drums

On some tunes, she'd lash may bass home like a jockey;
On some all she did was high-hat rickle the beat,
Always greacefully making the transitions,
Watching the music and the dancers' feet.
The jitterbug was one way people forgot
The rapidly spreading prairie fires of war.
Man, the house would bounce when her licks were hot!
We gave those people what they were dancing for. (Marilyn Nelson)

Before I read the book, I read the author and illustrator notes in the back of the book. Both were stunning and you won't hear any spoilers here. The next thing I did was hit the internet and found several mesmerizing clips of these young women, including one in which we could hear Braddy solo. The book? I was enthralled by the way the poetry and the illustrations combined to tell the story of the times and the "International Sweethearts of Rhythm." Marilyn Nelson and Jerry Pinkney have the rhythm down perfectly in this one and you certainly won't regret or forget the read!

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE FOR ANY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARY, January 5, 2012

By 

F. Morris Rosman "Ella Expert" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweethearts of Rhythm (Hardcover)

Kids today don't know about the horrible Jim Crow laws in America. They don't truly understand about segregation and how awful it was. This magnificent book helps explain those dark times through a charming story. And the illustrations are totally phenomenal! We had the honor of meeting the surviving "Sweethearts" at a special event at the Smithsonian during Jazz Appreciation Month 2011, and they were as warm and wonderful as their story. This book should be part of every elementary school library. Perfect for sharing and reading aloud.