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51st out of 179 books
—
109 voters
Ben's Trumpet
The story of Ben is fiction, but it could be the story of more than one jazz musician who grew up in the twenties. Using the artdeco style of the period, Rachel Isadora not only captures the poignancy and yearning of a youthful talent, but in page after page of striking art seems to convey the very sound of music.A virtuoso performance for picture book readers of all ages...more
Paperback, 40 pages
Published
September 18th 1991
by Greenwillow Books
(first published February 1st 1979)
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Ben spends most of his free time sitting on his steps and listening to the music coming from the Zig Zag Jazz Club. Sometimes, he even goes into the club and watches the members of the band practice. He admires each of the players but idolizes the trumpet player the most. Almost all day, every day, Ben “practices” playing his air trumpet until one day a group of older kids make fun of him. The trumpet player from the club notices Ben sitting on his steps and is clearly down in the dumps. The tru...more
Nov 05, 2012
Paul
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
caldecott,
childrens-lit
Young Ben practices his imaginary trumpet near the Zig Zag Jazz Club, soaking up the vibe of the club and its music. Only when his neighborhood kids take away his dream by pointing out he doesn't "really" have a trumpet does his love for the music wane. But when the club trumpeter hands Ben with his trumpet on the final page, new hope and life are breathed into the young boy. Isadora has infused the book with plenty of emotion and drama by using only black, white and grey in a wide variety of vi...more
I was reading this book for the Goodreads Picture Book Club for the theme of music. “Ben’s Trumpet” is a Caldecott Honor Book by Rachel Isadora and it details about a young boy’s interest in playing the trumpet after he sees a popular musician playing his trumpet. “Ben’s Trumpet” may have gorgeous illustrations, but the story might not be enough to attract the attention of younger children.
This story is about a young boy named Ben who sits outside on the fire escape and listen to the music from...more
This story is about a young boy named Ben who sits outside on the fire escape and listen to the music from...more
4 likes
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This is a wonderful story about a young boy growing up in the jazz age. He is too poor to have his own trumpet, but the music sings through his heart and he "plays" all day long helping bring joy to his family and himself. But, oh, how he longs to have a real instrument and to play like those cool cats at the Jazz Club. Just when he is mocked by his so-called friends for playing an imaginary trumpet, a new friend steps in and gives Ben a new opportunity to share his song wtih the world.
The audio...more
The audio...more
6 likes
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like
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Mar 09, 2011
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
This is an inspirational tale about the magical lure of music, the imagination of a young child and the generosity of a musician who chooses that child, Ben, to mentor. The story is lyrical, but I think it is best appreciated listening to the story on audio. We listened to it as we followed along with the book and the added background music really added a lot of charm to the story.
I discovered this book through the Children's Books group here on Goodreads. This book was selected as one of the M...more
I discovered this book through the Children's Books group here on Goodreads. This book was selected as one of the M...more
3 likes
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like
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APA citation:
Isadora, Rachel. (1979) Ben's trumpet /New York : Greenwillow Books,
Interest/Reading level: Ages 3-8
Summary: Ben spends many a nights watching the Zig Zag Jazz musicians from afar and plays along on a trumpet no one can see. His friends laugh, his family ignores his interest, but one man takes notice. The trumpet player from the Zig Zag Jazz Club walks over and offers him a trumpet, saying, "We'll see what we can do."
Response: This book goes to show that we only need one person to b...more
Isadora, Rachel. (1979) Ben's trumpet /New York : Greenwillow Books,
Interest/Reading level: Ages 3-8
Summary: Ben spends many a nights watching the Zig Zag Jazz musicians from afar and plays along on a trumpet no one can see. His friends laugh, his family ignores his interest, but one man takes notice. The trumpet player from the Zig Zag Jazz Club walks over and offers him a trumpet, saying, "We'll see what we can do."
Response: This book goes to show that we only need one person to b...more
Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora tells the story of Ben, who spends many nights watching the Zig Zag Jazz musicians from afar and plays along on an imaginary trumpet no one can see. His friends laugh, his family ignores his interest, but one man takes notice. The trumpet player from the Zig Zag Jazz Club walks over and offers him a trumpet, saying, "We'll see what we can do."
The brief lyrical text is appealing with its messages of having a song in your heart and holding onto your dreams. Musician...more
The brief lyrical text is appealing with its messages of having a song in your heart and holding onto your dreams. Musician...more
Feb 20, 2011
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
kids who love music, appreciate using their imaginations and who have dreams & goals
I wasn’t sure about this one at first. It’s basically a historical fiction very short picture book story. A lot of 20s slang and mood is at the forefront, which I enjoyed, but as I read I wasn’t sure young children would.
The illustrations are terrific. I love when the illustrations bleed out of their area.
However, and I’m embarrassed to admit this, I didn’t read the cues about what was going on re Ben’s trumpet. I wasn’t sufficiently observant about what the pictures were telling me. But, becau...more
The illustrations are terrific. I love when the illustrations bleed out of their area.
However, and I’m embarrassed to admit this, I didn’t read the cues about what was going on re Ben’s trumpet. I wasn’t sufficiently observant about what the pictures were telling me. But, becau...more
6 likes
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like
· see review
This book was a Picture Book Club monthly read found here: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...
Ben's Trumpet was a fun and visually unusual read. Using black and white art deco style this book is set in the 1920's. Through the first few pages of the book, I wasn't sure how I felt about the art, but as the story went on I began to understand it. I am not sure how a child would feel about these illustrations and may even giggle or be distracted at one of the illustrations.
This story is about...more
Ben's Trumpet was a fun and visually unusual read. Using black and white art deco style this book is set in the 1920's. Through the first few pages of the book, I wasn't sure how I felt about the art, but as the story went on I began to understand it. I am not sure how a child would feel about these illustrations and may even giggle or be distracted at one of the illustrations.
This story is about...more
Feb 22, 2012
Sarah Brock
added it
The things that struck me most about this book were the illustrations. The entire book was illustrated only in black and white. The pictures were realistic and each page almost looked like an individual piece of art. The emotions of the characters were clearly shown through the pictures. I liked the storyline of the book. It shows Ben using his imagination to do something that he otherwise doesn't really have the oppoturnity to do. The speech of the characters in the book was another interesting...more
The pictures in this book are made up of black and white lines. The characters and setting are all outlines colored in by shading the shadows. It looks like the artwork could have been drawn with a pencil. The artwork does a good job demonstrating the events of the story. Without paying proper attention to the pictures, readers might assume that Ben has a real trumpet, when the pictures clearly show he is just pretending to play one throughout the story. The pictures in this story did a good job...more
The illustrations in this book were made up of black and white lines. The characters and setting are all outlines colored in by shading the shadows. The artwork looked as if they could have been drawn with a pencil. The artwork does a good job demonstrating the events of the story. Without paying proper attention to the pictures, readers might assume that Ben has a real trumpet, when the pictures clearly show he is just pretending to play one throughout the story. The pictures in this story did...more
This book, first of all, has amazing black and white illustrations. I wish I had half the artistic ability shown here! Truthfully, I'm surprised it only won a Caldecott Honor instead of the actual award - but then, I haven't seen the winner for that year.
I love the story, too, though that's secondary. A boy loves the jazz band by his house, and pretends to practice on his trumpet until he's rudely told he doesn't HAVE a trumpet... but his hero fixes that by starting trumpet lessons with him, a n...more
I love the story, too, though that's secondary. A boy loves the jazz band by his house, and pretends to practice on his trumpet until he's rudely told he doesn't HAVE a trumpet... but his hero fixes that by starting trumpet lessons with him, a n...more
May 30, 2012
Robert
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
caldecott-honor,
new-york
A splendid picture book relating a boys' yearning to play the trumpet. The marvelous B&W illustrations evoke the spirit of the Jazz Age. Wholly deserving of the Caledcott Honor, if not the Medal itself.
"The story of Ben is fiction, but it could be the story of more than one jazz musician who grew up in the twenties. Using the art-deco style of the period, Rachel Isadora not only captures the poignancy and yearning of a youthful talent, but in page after page of striking art seems to convey t...more
"The story of Ben is fiction, but it could be the story of more than one jazz musician who grew up in the twenties. Using the art-deco style of the period, Rachel Isadora not only captures the poignancy and yearning of a youthful talent, but in page after page of striking art seems to convey t...more
For me, this book was all about the illustrations. I was quite impressed with them. I know some were just pencil drawings. But others looked like there was a bit more to them. I just wouldn't know what. My ignorant artistic mind doesn't know much more except that I enjoyed them, was even mesmerized by a couple. And it did such a good job in creating an atmosphere for the book--the jazz age, a city setting, a young boy's dreams. I liked the ending. Glad I got to read this one which I was not awar...more
A boy named Ben who plays his air trumpet while listening to the music that drifts nightly out of the jazz bar down the street, is befriended by the trumpeter from the bar, after kids in the neighborhood make fun of his pretend trumpet-playing. A trip to the jazz club accompanying his idolized trumpeter is a dream-come-true.
Beautiful black and white cross-hatch sketching evokes perfectly the ambiance of the neighborhood where the boy and the jazz club reside, the music in the air, and the boy's...more
Beautiful black and white cross-hatch sketching evokes perfectly the ambiance of the neighborhood where the boy and the jazz club reside, the music in the air, and the boy's...more
Ben sits out on the fire escape at his apartment listening to jazz coming from a nearby club. He watches the men practice after school and imagines himself as part of the band, with a trumpet belting out notes and part of the scene. Black and white illustrations capture the energy of 1920's Harlem with realistic portraits of the musicians contrasted with abstract patterns representing their music. Pair this with the novel BUD NOT BUDDY.
Ben is a trumpet player even if he doesn't have a trumpet. Ben plays his air horn night and day and hangs out near the Zig Zag Jazz Club admiring the musicians. When some neighborhood kids make fun of him for playing an air horn Ben loses his will to play, but then his idol, the trumpet player from the Zig Zag Jazz Club lets Ben play a real trumpet. Black and white illustrations bring this rhythmic text to life. The closeups of the pianist, the saxophonist, the trombonist, and the drummer are si...more
On my first read, I wasn't wowed by this book. But my two year old asked me to read it over and over to her. She really liked it a lot. After a couple of readings, she could correctly name the instruments in the book and she really liked the pictures. The black and white illustrations weren't my favorite, but they did work well for this story... and they hold an important clue to the story as well.
Dark black, white, and gray illustrations set a mood.
Main character is a young African-American boy named Ben.
Ben, like all children, has his ups and downs, a theme all children have experienced.
Brief words tell the story.
Some aspects of the setting (large city, jazz clubs, etc.) may be unknown to non-urban children.
Current publication date (1991), but may become a classic.
This book could take the classroom curriculum in many directions including:
Jazz (music and listening center/lessons)--What i...more
Main character is a young African-American boy named Ben.
Ben, like all children, has his ups and downs, a theme all children have experienced.
Brief words tell the story.
Some aspects of the setting (large city, jazz clubs, etc.) may be unknown to non-urban children.
Current publication date (1991), but may become a classic.
This book could take the classroom curriculum in many directions including:
Jazz (music and listening center/lessons)--What i...more
I love everything about this book: the black and white illustrations, the cool jazz musicians at the Zig Zag Club, and Ben: who loves music so much that he plays pretends to play music with an imaginary trumpet, until he runs into some kids at school who make fun of him and now he doesn't want to play anymore. Will Ben find a way to resurrect his love of music?
I have been on a Rachel Isadora kick lately, she is sooo talented!
Ben visits the Zig Zag Jazz Club every day after school and the music fills his heart and follows him home. One of the musicians at the Club sees Ben's passion for music and shares a trumpet. This inspirational tale features black and white illustrations showcasing great usage of line and deco art.
Ben visits the Zig Zag Jazz Club every day after school and the music fills his heart and follows him home. One of the musicians at the Club sees Ben's passion for music and shares a trumpet. This inspirational tale features black and white illustrations showcasing great usage of line and deco art.
1 like
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like
· see review
I like this book because it teaches children about a passion.Ben's love for the trumpet helped him meet the trumpet player from the club band, and helps him get a trumpet for himself. I liked how the author kept the time period during the time of jazz music. The author did a great job at with the pictures connecting to the story.
Feb 29, 2012
Mary Cate
added it
This book is entirely in black and white. I, personally, think this adds to the book but I think it may be boring for children. The message is to follow your dreams and to not let people damper them. It's short and to-the-point and the message is overall clear, but I don't think the story itself is very interesting or fun.
This is a black and white book about a boy who falls in love with the trumpet. It has beautiful and detailed illustrations that fit perfectly with the jazz theme of the book. I really think this book can be used at any elementary grade level. The teacher can talk about music, jazz, or instruments in general.
Dec 18, 2011
Debbie Hoskins
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
archetypes,
classics,
favorite-books,
love-the-illustrations,
mystic,
poetic,
words-and-pictures
It's books like these, that made me want to make my own books. This is a gorgeous black and white book published by Greenwillow. One of my favorite books by Rachel Isadora. Ava Weiss probably did the art direction. She gave Greenwillow a wonderful "look." This book carries her talent also.
Ben loves to pass by the Zig Zag Club to hear the musician's playing jazz... he loves all the instruments, but loves the trumpet the most. He loves it so much he practices without a horn.
A brilliantly artistic book with black and white drawings that accent the movement and feel of jazz music!
A brilliantly artistic book with black and white drawings that accent the movement and feel of jazz music!
I re-read this after almost 20 years. Loved it then, loved it now. Put on some Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, or Dizzy Gillespie and read the book, then page through it again very slowly, immersing yourself in the detail of the pictures.
An excellent little book, especially with the audio. This was the first book my son "read" and turned pages to. I was sorry to find out that the author hasn't written anything else similar. We are ready for a series!
This is a good book to read to all children simply because all children have dreams. This is a story of a boy who plays an imaginary trumpet. One day he finally gets to play a real one.
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