Mary's Idea by Chris Raschka

Mary's Idea by Chris Raschka

Two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka captures the sound, passion, innovation, and love of the arts that the renowned jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams shared with the world. Mary’s Idea is a stunning and transporting picture book about music and the creative process, for readers of Trombone Shorty and Chris Raschka’s acclaimed books about musicians, including Charlie Parker Played Be Bop and Mysterious Thelonious.

At the age of three, Mary Lou Williams taught herself how to play the piano. At the age of fifteen, she was considered a professional. An American jazz pianist and composer, Mary Lou Williams wrote hundreds of compositions, recorded hundreds of songs, and wrote arrangements for musicians, including Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman.

Mary’s Idea is an exquisite picture book about Mary Lou Williams, an artist often overlooked in the canon of American music because of her gender and skin color. With a text full of rhythm and movement and illustrations that sing off the page, Chris Raschka’s picture book is equal parts biography and celebration of the imagination, ideas, and creative process.

Mary’s Idea will find readers in fans of Traci N. Todd’s and Christian Robinson’s Nina, and Brian Selznick’s and Pam Muñoz Ryan’s When Marian Sang.

Includes backmatter.

“A chromatic tribute to pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981). . . Along with offering inspiration to young musicians, and like the other tributes to jazz greats that he has been writing and illustrating since the beginning of his career, this loving remembrance captures rich hints of his subject’s joy and sound. Elevating and evocative.” — Kirkus Reviews “Inspired by the life of jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams (1920–1981), Raschka, in ink, oil pastel, and watercolor, paints the figure’s face and body seated at a piano. . . . The music she creates appears as ribbons of bright swatched squares emanating from the instrument. In a book that’s less conventional biography than hymn to Williams’s spirit, the leitmotif ‘It was Mary’s idea’ underscores the musician’s charting her own course and making her own decisions . . . Back matter supplies more about Williams’s life.” — Publishers Weekly

Chris Raschka is the creator of many distinguished and award-winning books for children. He has received two Caldecott Medals—one for The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster, and one for his own A Ball for Daisy. He also received a Caldecott Honor for Yo! Yes? Chris Raschka was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2012 and 2016 and has been awarded a New York Times Best Illustrated Book citation seven times. He lives in New York City with his family. Chris Raschka is the creator of many distinguished and award-winning books for children. He has received two Caldecott Medals—one for The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster, and one for his own A Ball for Daisy. He also received a Caldecott Honor for Yo! Yes? Chris Raschka was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2012 and 2016 and has been awarded a New York Times Best Illustrated Book citation seven times. He lives in New York City with his family.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780063210509
ISBN 10	0063210509
Title	Mary's Idea
Author	Chris Raschka
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Year published	2023-07-20
Number of pages	32
Prizes	Winner of New York Times Best Illustrated Book (United States).
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.