A lyrical picture book biography of John Coltrane that focuses on his childhood.

Young John Coltrane was all ears. And there was a lot to hear, growing up in the south during the 1930s: church songs, preachers praying, music on the radio, and the bustling of the household. John was surrounded by all kinds of vivid noises that shaped his own sound as a musician. With vibrant words and glowing colors, Carole Boston Weatherford and Sean Qualls compose an amazingly rich hymn to the childhood of jazz legend John Coltrane.

Before John Was a Jazz Giant is a 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book and a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Square Fish
Published: 04/05/2022
ISBN: 9781250822703
Pages: 32
Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 120546 / Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
Reading Level: 3.8 / Interest Level: Lower Grade / Point Value: 0.5