The Piano Man

by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate

In this beautiful story, poignant prose and lush paintings tell the story of a girl's bond with her grandfather through their shared love of music. Eric Velasquez' stunning picture book debut, for which he received the Coretta Scott King New Talent Award, captures Debbi Chocolate's vivid memories of her grandfather, the piano man, his long career spanning decades of American music history, and his special talent for sharing his passion with generation after generation.

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Historical Fiction, Family, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Debbi Chocolate is the author of numerous popular and award-winning books for young readers, including Talk, Talk, for which she received the Parents CHoice Award; On The Day I Was Born, a Children's Book Council Notable selectiom; and Neate to the Rescue!

Reviews

[Dione Basseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite surprising that this is the first picture book art release for Eric Velasquez. The art is so polished. He certainly developed his style fully before getting into picture books, and no doubt he's going to do well in the industry.

A young woman tells about her grandfather, a piano player in theaters up until the "talkies" arrived. We also travel a bit, learning about vaudeville, snake oil, ragtime, and other careers the piano man held.

Vibrant and quite interesting. If your kids like more realistic picture books, instead of fantasy, give it a try.

[Teresa Selders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great african american read about the bond of a girl and her grandfather and their shared love for music. It takes you back in time when the theaters had silent movies, and a piano player would play the sounds and rhythms of the movies. Its a good book for blacks who want to know more about their history. I would chose it for my classroom so that students can have some rich history of what music was like back in the day. The illustrations are so colorful and beautiful. Its for ages 5-8 years old. (K-3rd possibly).

[Alexis Fillmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, teaching kids a little history

[Krystie Herndon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great true story, with lovely illustrations. How many stories we all have in us!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl tells the story of her grandfather's career as a piano player from when he was a young man to when his hair was gray and she was around to hear him play.

Good for preschool or older kid storytimes.

[Emily Pandilidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Piano Man is by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate and is illustrated by Eric Velasque. This unique story is told through the beautiful paintings, by Velasque, that take up the entire two pages leaving the words only at the top in small font. These paintings make the story come to life and make the reader almost be able to hear the music of the piano and see those dancing. This is a story about a young African American girl and her grandfather who have an inseperable bond due to music. This is a true story about Chocolate and her grandfather. This book flashes back to 40's and tells the story of her grandfathers musical journey with the piano and how his fingers flow with it. The book tells how her grandfather was a piano man, a silent movie actor, and ended his career in piano tuning. This book could be used to discuss the different types of music through the decades an their styles. The read would not be as easy or as enjoyable if the illustrations did not go along with them.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Caldecott award winner tells the story of a grandfather who used to play the piano for silent movies and vaudeville until he was put out of business when movies with sound were created. The narrator reminisces on her remembrance of how his love for music lived on as he'd play for her while the television was on silent when she was a child. The illustrations in this book were beautiful and the story told about her grandfather's life was very rich and informative. I think this book would be great to use when doing research on family history. I would recommend this book for K-3rd grade.

[Margaret Henderson]

Piano Man is a beautiful story set in the 1940's. The man recounts his life journeys to his granddaughter. The illustrations throughout the story are what stood out to me the most. The neutral browns used throughout were used to exemplify the piano. Chocolate does a good job with imagery through her text. If illustrations were not included, the audience would still be able to picture her words clearly. The story captures several music/dance terms from the time period. It would be great to use in a music class.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, evocative illustrations take us back to the time when silent movies were the norm. A little girl recounts the story of her grandfather and his way with a piano and the music that flowed from his fingers. He created 'the mood'.

When talkies came out, the grandfather was no longer needed, unfortunately, but his love of music and the piano was still within him. Piano Man would surely launch a discussion of this by-gone era and its contribution to music.

[571 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindergarten-Grade 3 SLJ
a girl recounts the many musical careers her grandfather had- from piano man for the silent movies to piano tuner.
Great Illustrations.

[Hannah]

The story is great and all, but I cannot get over how uncomfortable the faces - especially the teeth - made me.

[GPPL Youth]

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