The One About the Blackbird

An instrument unites loved ones for a truly emotional effect across this time-spanning story. As a child, Jack lives with his grandfather in a house “alive with music.” Inspired by his caregiver’s aptitude, the youth asks to be taught how to play a favorite song on the guitar—“the one about the blackbird.” Text realistically articulates the learning process (“His fingers refused to stay in position. His grandfather moved them back into shape”). Working with thickly applied acrylic paint and dimensional elements, James’s scratchily inked characters, portrayed with pale skin, stand out against simple backdrops, spotlighting the pair’s intimacy. When an adult Jack returns home as a professional musician, the earlier tutorial scene is replayed with the roles reversed in response to Jack’s now-elderly grandfather’s fading memory. With repeated phrasing and symbols, Florence’s careful prose captures the strength of the pair’s bond, and the way music can help to power memory, even amid its loss. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)