Is the story of Ben who played the trumpet using the decor-style of that people.

This book is about imagination. This boy was so invested in jazz music that he was playing is imaginary trumpet everywhere he went. He loved that thing and loved listening to the musicians in the club. One day, some mean kids laughed at him because he did not have a real trumpet but played an air trumpet. The trumpeter at the club walked up to him and asked him where his trumpet went because he then didnt air trumpet anymore. He told the trumpeter that he didnt have one and then the musician let him play his. This book was okay. I think it is kind of bland and did not really have a good story line to it. Although it was cute, I think it could of been better by adding some rising and falling pieces to it. ( )

With its silver and black cover, angled title, and silhouettes, Ben's Trumpet, a Caldecott Honor Book, announces to readers that they are in for a stylish ride. With simple text and stunning black and white illustrations, Isadora tells the story of Ben, a young boy who lives in the inner city, not far from the Zig Zag Jazz Club. On hot nights, Ben sits on the fire escape and plays his "trumpet" (even the cover communicates that it is an imaginary one) along with the trumpeter, who, as far as Ben is concerned, is "the cat's meow". Ben's family tolerates his "playing", but the candy store kids are less kind, shaming Ben for his imaginative playing. Isadora's tale has a rewarding and uplifting ending that involves one of the musicians from the jazz club taking Ben under his wing. All artistic creation, all achievement, the author seems to stay, begins in the imagination, but dreams require nurturing and mentoring, too.

I'm not sure what medium Isadora has used to create her illustrations. They appear to be pen and ink. Whatever they are, they're stunning: the epitome of "cool". Each of the musicians at the jazz club--the pianist, the trombonist, the drummer, the saxophonist, and the trumpeter--gets his own page, and Isadora manages to communicate through her art the effort and focus each musician brings to the jazz ensemble. The drummer's page is particularly notable--all done in jittery lines to suggest the rattling and percussion.

Ben's Trumpet would be a neat book to use to introduce jazz to kids, but it is an also provides interesting examples of how visual art can suggest movement and sound. ( )

This is a great children's story focused on music and dreams. This picture book really speaks through the images, as if you can almost hear the music as a reader. The imagery is very nice and displays, perfectly, the emotions behind this young boy growing up in the jazz age. The main character is the young boy who is poor and cannot afford his own trumpet.Although, this challenges him sings and plays, spreading joy to his community. He longs for his dream to be a real trumpet player like the other cool cats. Not everyone loves the fact that he plays an imaginary trumpet, but through their differences Ben gets a new opportunity to share his music with the world. ( )

I didn't quite like the text of the story for the first few pages of the book, they didn't grab me. Halfway through, however, I feel like the illustrations and text merged cohesively to create a sweet narrative. The illustrative choice to only use black and white is a bold one and feels right. ( )