Review by Booklist Review
In the 1920s, when Lester's piano teacher sent his mother a note saying that he would never be musical, she tore it up, scoffed, and encouraged her son to pursue his dreams. And he did, often disassembling household electronics (with her blessing) to scrounge for parts. Growing up, he learned to play guitar, banjo, and harmonica, as well as build his own crystal radio set, recording device, and amplifier. As a 17-year-old, he took his act on the road, playing music professionally and beginning to work on the Log, one of the first solid-body electric guitars. A lengthy appended note fills in more information about the man and his many accomplishments. Helquist's colorful oil paintings incorporate period details of setting and dress while capturing the amiable tone of the text. Les Paul may not be a familiar name to kids, but that doesn't mean they won't relate to the lively story of this inventive boy whose love of music and tinkering lead him to succeed both as a musician and an inventor. An upbeat picture-book biography.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
According to his teacher, young Les Paul-who preferred playing piano by ear over sight reading-would "never be musical." Undeterred and with his mother's support, Paul pursued his interests, musical and otherwise. After designing and building a radio set, he learned to play guitar, banjo, and harmonica, performing for audiences that expressed their wish to hear the music better. Through trial and error, Paul created contraptions to amplify the sound of his guitar-but the guitar's vibrations caused unwelcome feedback. A steel rail and an electric guitar prototype (called the Log, because of its shape) led to a design that resembles modern-day instruments. In Helquist's expressive oil paintings, Paul's music is visualized as colorful orbs and swirling lines. Good ideas require persistence, determination, and lots of experimentation, Tomsic implies through Paul's story. A note from the author explores Paul's contributions to the world of music in greater detail. Ages 5-8. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-If your child regularly took apart machines in your home or trimmed down a tread on your stairs to make it sound better, how would you react? Fortunately for musicians and music lovers, Les Paul's mother encouraged, even praised, his efforts. From a young age, Les was curious about sound as it relates to music. His initial attempts to learn to play the piano ended with the teacher declaring, "Lester will never learn music." but a mail-order guitar and a wooden harmonica proved to be just the ticket to launch his ever-widening curiosity about how to improve the sound so it would reach all the way to the back of crowds that came to hear him play. Each performance venue produced additional problems to solve, leading to more and more tinkering with found objects. His persistence and creativity paid off, as he is credited with numerous inventions that have made today's recorded music possible. Paul's story is delightfully told in folksy, familiar language, with numerous onomatopoeias to represent the sounds he produced. There is additional back matter that adds more detail to illuminate his amazing career accomplishments. Helquist's illustrations, created with colorful oils, are equally delightful and pleasant. Text and illustrations radiate exuberance and joy. Readers will marvel at the perseverance and ingenuity Paul demonstrated throughout his life. VERDICT A strong addition to inspire would-be inventors, and an excellent choice for STEM programs and biography collections.-Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This look at young Les Paul, the father of the solid-body electric guitar, capably explains the mechanics behind the boy's inventions--a little too capably, as short shrift is given to interiority, although the retro-flavored oil paintings tease out the human element. This book is best suited for readers (including adults) who are already besotted with the rock guitar sound. Bib. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Young Lester Polsfuss' piano teacher sent a note home to Lester's mother saying, "Your boy, Lester, will never learn music, so save your money. Please don't send him for any more lessons." Lester proved her wrong and grew up to become Les Paul, "guitar genius.""You can do anything you put your mind to," Lester's mother told him. So Lester put his mind to creating things: a radio, a recording device, a mic and a speaker, and a solid-body electric guitar that forever changed popular music. Along the way, Lester also created personaeRed Hot Red, Rhubarb Red, the Wizard of Waukesha. As Les Paul, the white man played to diverse crowds with some of the greatest musicians of the era: Louis Armstrong, Art Tatum, Nat King Cole, Coleman Hawkins, and Charlie Christianall sharing a page in Helquist's illustration as they sometimes shared a stage. The illustrations evoke the musicians' energy with wild flames of sound erupting from speakers and a frequently repeated, sometimes-overdone multicolored circle motif reminiscent of Bryan Collier's circles in John's Secret Dreams (2004). Tomsic effectively explains Les Paul's complex technical achievements, focusing on just a few that make sense for her audience. Her author's note goes into more depth.An exuberant introduction to a musician and creative genius that young readers probably have not heard of before. (Picture book/biography. 6-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
