Picture Books that Focus on Music

In this post, I recommend picture books, mostly with a global multicultural emphasis that focus on music.

Aliki. 2005. Ah, Music! New York: Harper Trophy.
Anderson, M.T. 2003. Strange Mr. Satie. Illustrated by Petra Mathers. New York: Viking Juvenile.
Anderson, M.T.  2001. Handel Who Knew What He Liked. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Belting, Natalie. 2006. Whirlwind is a Spirit Dancing. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Introduction by Joseph Bruchac. New York: Milk & Cookies Press.
Brown, Monica. 2004. My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz. Illustrated by Rafael López. Flagstaff, AZ: Luna Rising.

Burleigh, Robert. 2001. Lookin’ for Bird in the Big City. Illustrated by Marek Los. San Diego, CA: Silver Whistle/Harcourt, Inc.
Bynum, Eboni and Roland Jackson. 2004. Jamari’s Drum. Illustrated by Baba Wagué Diakité. Toronto: Groundwood.
Carle, Eric. 1996. I See a Song. New York: Scholastic.
Celenza, Anna Harwell. 2006. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Illustrated by Joann E. Kitchel. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

Celenza, Anna Harwell. 2005. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Illustrated by Joann E. Kitchel. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Celenza, Anna Harwell.  2004. The Heroic Symphony. Illustrated by Joann E. Kitchel. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Celenza, Anna Harwell.  2003. Pictures at an Exhibition. Illustrated by Joann E. Kitchel.
Chambers, Veronica. 2005. Celia Cruz: Queen of Salsa. Illustrated by Julie Maren. New York: Dial.
Costanza, Stephen. 2004. Mozart Finds a Melody. New York: Henry Holt.
Curtis, Gavin, 2003. The Bat Boy And His Violin. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. New York: Aladdin.
Cutler, Jane. 1999. The Cello of Mr. O. Illustrated by Greg Couch. New York: Dutton Juvenile.

Dillon, Leo and Diane Dillon. 2002. Rap a Tap Tap: Here’s Bojangles—Think of That! New York: Scholastic/Blue Sky.
Dole, Mayra L. 2003. Drum, Chavi, Drum!/ ¡Toca, Chavi, Toca! Illustrated by Tonel. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press.
Dumont, Jean Francois. 2005. A Blue So Blue. Translated by Michel Bourque.New York: Sterling Publishing Co.
Fitzgerald, Ella. 2003. A Tisket, A Tasket. Illustrated by Ora Eitan. New York: Philomel.
Gatti, Anne. 2005. The Magic Flute. Illustrated by Peter Malone. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
Gerstein, Mordicai. 2002. What Charlie Heard. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Gollub, Matthew. 2000. Ten Oni Drummers. Illustrated by Kazuko G. Stone. New York: Lee & Low Books.

Hayes, Ann. 1995. Meet the Orchestra. Illustrated by Karmen Thompson. Orlando, FL: Voyager.
Hopkinson, Deborah. 2002. A Band of Angels. Illustrated by Raul Coloñ. New York: Aladdin.
Igus, Toyomi.1998. i see the rhythm. Illustrated by Michele Wood. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.
Isadora, Rachel. 2002. Bring on that Beat. New York: Putnam.
Isadora, Rachel. 1997. Young Mozart. New York: Viking.
Isadora, Rachel.  Ben’s Trumpet. New York: Harper Trophy.
Johnson, Angela. 2004. Violet’s Music. Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith. New York: Dial.
Kono, Erin Eitter. 2005. Hula Lullaby. Boston: Little, Brown. Krull, Kathleen. 2003. M Is for Music. Illustrated by Stacey Innerst. Boston: Harcourt.
Kuskin, Karla. 1986. The Philharmonic Gets Dressed. Illustrated by Marc Simont. New York: Harper Trophy.
Lester, Julius. 2001. The Blues Singer: Ten Who Rocked the World. Illustrated by Lisa Co- hen. New York: Jump at the Sun.
Littlesugar, Amy. 2001. Shake Rag. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. New York: Putnam Juvenile.
London, Jonathan. 1996. Hip Cat. Illustrated by Woodleigh Hubbard. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Lord, Michelle. 2008. A Song for Cambodia. Illustrated by Shino Arihara. New York: Lee & Low Books.
Mathis, Sharon Bell. 2006. Ray Charles. Illustrated by George Ford. New York: Lee & Low Books.
Colin McNaughton, Colin. 2004. Once Upon an Ordinary Day. Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. Andersen Press.
McPhail, David. 2001. Mole Music. New York: Henry Holt and Co.
Medina, Tony. 2009. I and I: Bob Marley. Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson. New York: Lee & Low Books.







Miller, William. 2004. The Piano. Illustrated by Susan Keeter. New York: Lee & Low Books.
Miller, William.  2001. Rent Party Jazz. Illustrated by Charlotte Riley-Webb. New York: Lee & Low Books.
Moss, Lloyd. 2003. Music Is. Illustrated by Philip Petit-Roulet, New York: Putnam.
Moss, Lloyd. 1995. Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin. Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Myers, Walter Dean. 2007. Jazz. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday
House.
Myers, Walter Dean. 2006. Blues Journey. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday
House.

Myers, Walter Dean. 2001. The Blues of Flat Brown. Illustrated by Nina Laden. New York: Holiday House.
Nelson, Marilyn. 2009. Swethearts of Rhythm: The Story of the Greatest All Girl Swing Band in the World. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. NY: Dial.
 Nichol, Barbara. 1999. Beethoven Lives Up-stairs. Illustrated by Scott Cameron. New York: Orchard.
Orgill, Roxane. 1997. If I Only Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong. Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis with Scat Cat Monroe. 2002. Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuoso. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. New York: Hyperion.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 1998. Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. New York: Jump At The Sun.
Pinkney, Brian. 1997. Max Found Two Sticks. New York: Aladdin.

Price, Leontyne. 1990. Aida. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. New York: Harcorut.
Pritchett, Dylan. 2006. The First Music. Illus-trated by Erin Bennett Banks. Little Rock, Arkansas: August House.

Prokofiev, Sergei. 2004. Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf: With a Fully-Orchestrated and Narrated CD. Illustrated by Peter Malone. New York: Knopf Books. Raschka, Chris. 2002. John Coltrane's Giant Steps. New York: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books.
Raschka, Chris. 2001. Simple Gifts. New York: Henry Holt.
Raschka, Chris. 1997. Mysterious Thelonious. New York: Scholastic.
Raschka, Chris.1992. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. New York: Scholastic.
Roberts, Brenda C. 2004. Jazzy Miz Mozetta. Illustrated by Frank Morison. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2002. When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson. Illustrated by Brian Selznick. New York: Scholastic.


 Say, Allen. 2004. Music for Alice. San Diego, CA: Houghton Mifflin.
Schroeder, Alan. 1999. Satchmo’s Blues. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper.New York: Dragonfly Books.
Schubert, Leda. 2006. Ballet of the Elephants. Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker. Millbrook, CT: Roaring Brook Press.
Schuch, Steve. 2002. A Symphony of Whales. Illustrated by Peter Sylvada. Orlando, FL: Voyager Books.
Seeger, Pete & Paul Dubois Jacobs. 2006. The Deaf Musicians. Illustrated by Gregory Christie. New York: Putnam Juvenile.

Shange, Ntozake. 2004. Ellington Was Not a Street. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Siegelson, Kim L. 2003. Dancing the Ring Shout! Illustrated by Lisa Cohen. New York: Jump at the Sun.
Sis, Peter. 2006. Play, Mozart, Play! New York: Greenwillow.
Smith, Charles R., Jr. 2002. Perfect Harmony: A Musical Journey with the Boys Choir of Harlem. New York: Jump at the Sun.
Stauffacher, Sue. 2006. Bessie Smith and the Night Riders. Illustrated by John Holyfield. New York: Putnam.
Taylor, Debbie A. 2004. Sweet Music in Harlem. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. New York: Lee & Low.
Troupe, Quincy. 2005. Little Stevie Wonder. Illustrated by Lisa Cohen. San Diego, Ca: Houghton Mifflin.
Velasquez, Eric. 2001. Grandma’s Records. New York: Walker.
Wilson, Budge. 2006. A Fiddle For Angus. Illustrated by Susan Tooke. Toronto: Tundra Books.
Winter, Jonah. 2006. Dizzy. Illustrated by Sean Qualls. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.
Winter, Jeanette. 1997. Sebastian: A Book about Bach. San Diego, CA: Houghton Mifflin.