Suzanne Slade is the author of the new children's picture book The Music in George's Head: George Gershwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue. Her many other books for children include The Inventor's Secret and What If There Were No Bees?. She lives in the Chicago area.
Q: Why did you choose to write a picture book about George
Gershwin and "Rhapsody in Blue"?
A: This story idea actually found me on the Fourth of July
many years ago. It was late at night and I was watching a fireworks celebration
on our local PBS station while "Rhapsody in Blue" played in the background.
The show host mentioned that the first time George
Gershwin performed "Rhapsody in Blue" he didn't use any sheet music, but
rather played the notes in his head.
I couldn't stop thinking about that surprising fact, so I
decided to research Gershwin and that first performance. The more I learned
about how he created that iconic song, the more I wanted to share this
inspiring, true story with young readers.
Q: How did you research the book, and was there anything
that particularly surprised you?
A: I began my research with primary sources containing
Gershwin's own writings, as well as reliable websites and books. Once I
had a decent rough draft I reached out to experts for vetting and additional
facts.
Thankfully, Dr. Michael Ruhling (Rochester Institute of Technology music professor, president of
North America Haydn Society) and Raymond White (music specialist from the Library of Congress George and Ira Gershwin Collection) both kindly agreed to help with the
project.
I guess there were two things that really surprised me about
Gershwin. First, he was a clothes horse. Gershwin was invited to many parties,
and he loved to don the latest styles whenever he went out.
Second, I was shocked to discover he died when he was only
38. His short life makes his prolific music career and accomplishments even
more amazing.
Q: What do you think Stacy Innerst's illustrations bring to
the book?
A: Stacy's imaginative mind and incredible talent took this
story to a whole new level of "creative."
I love how he cleverly emphasized the "blue" theme
with moving scenes filled with lovely hues of blue. He also created hand
written text for key musical phrases which adds a certain flair to the book.
Stacy's illustrations blew me away, and it seems several
reviewers are quite fond of them too:
"The swirling text wraps around the inventive (and mostly
blue) art, both literally and figuratively, capturing the time period as well
as the dazzling musical piece." —Booklist, starred review
Innerst’s acrylic spreads are almost entirely done in blue
and gray tones, with broad brushstrokes, scanned textiles, and paper adding
texture; each scene is striking." —School Library Journal, starred
review
Innerst's acrylic-on-paper compositions, in a striking
palette of indigo, sepia, and white, whimsically evoke both the period and the
composer's creativity.... Bravo!" —Kirkus Reviews, starred
review
Q: As someone who's written about 100 books for kids, do you
write more than one book at a time, and do you see any overlapping themes
across your work?
A: Since the book making "process" can take two to five
years or more, I always seem to have several books at various stages of
production. I try to be in the "writing" phase of only one or
two new stories at a time so I can properly keep track of all my research
materials and have enough time to work with experts.
Regarding themes, I have an engineering degree so many of my
books are about science topics, though I really enjoy writing about the lives
of fascinating people as well.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: My next picture book, Out of School and Into Nature: The
Story of Anna Comstock, will release from Sleeping Bear Press in Spring 2017.
I'm excited to share this true story about a determined, ground-breaking woman
who loved art and nature.
In Fall 2017, Dangerous Jane (a picture book about Jane
Addams) comes out from Peachtree.
I'm currently doing final revisions on my first fiction
picture book, tentatively titled Sara's Surprise, which Tilbury House will
publish in March 2018.
In Spring 2019, The Daring Dozen will release from
Charlesbridge. I'm thrilled about this space book because I worked on rockets
during my engineering days and can't wait to share some fascinating,
little-known facts about NASA's moon missions with curious readers.
My agent is also finalizing contracts for three new
nonfiction books, so it seems I'll continue to be busy with upcoming projects.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Readers can find a free Teacher's Guide for The Music in
George's Head on my website here. Also, here's a link to listen to "Rhapsody in Blue."
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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