Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Song for Jimi by Charles R. Smith Jr. and Edel Rodriguez - AVERAGE

 Song for Jimi: the story of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Edel Rodriguez. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY. Neal Porter (Holiday House), 2021. $23. 9780823443338 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS, HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: EL – LOW; MS, HS - AVERAGE

Jimi Hendrix came into this world as Johnny Allen and lived a hard, chaotic, and wandering life before he became the famous, raw-toned guitarist. 

Smith uses long form poetry with a raw edge that feels like Jimi’s music for his narrative. He includes a lot of detail. My only problem is that the audience doesn’t fit the material. I will probably buy a copy for my middle school library, because we do share many picture book biographies. But I can’t understand why an elementary school would carry this. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

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