I liked this book a lot. It was about Art Tatum, a pianist with bad eyesight. Although he could hardly see, he played the piano really well and became well-known for his work and talent. This shows that students can accomplish things even when it seems like it should not be possible. It also shows that just because you cant see well, some not me you cannot accomplish the same things as others. This is probably good for 3rd-4th just to have in yous classroom. ( )

Regardless of whether they’ve heard of jazz or Art Tatum, young readers will appreciate how Parker uses simple, lyrical storytelling to show the world as young Art Tatum might have seen it. Tatum came from modest beginnings and was nearly blind, but his passion for the piano and his acute memory for any sound that he heard drove him to become a virtuoso who was revered by both classical and jazz pianists alike.

The touching story chronicles the life of renowned, blind, jazz pianist Art Tatum. Exquisite watercolor paintings and line drawings convey the mood, imagination, and power of Tatum’s music. Bibliography, Art Tatum and Me, More about Art Tatum.

This book is about Art Tatum, who I have never heard about. He was a famous nearly blind piano player from Toledo, Ohio. This book is very interesting because it is like a picture album that has snapshots of Art's life with descriptions made in a first person. Art started playing in church, then at public events, then in bars and cafes..."Do the sounds keep going until they reach the stars?" What a great question, Art, sometimes, I wonder that myself. He wove one song through another, creating masterpieces that began appearing on the radio. " I play clouds of notes, rivers of notes that sound like skylarks singing and leaving rustling, like rain on a rooftop. I forget that my eyes aren't good. I have everything I need". Art toured all over the US. What a treat it was to read this book :), ( )