In the new book “Trombone Shorty” by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier, we learn that dreams can come true at any age.
Troy Andrews loved the trombone. He hoped to be a musician some day.
Each year, when Mardi Gras rolled through Tremé, Troy and his neighbors would dance along with the bands in the parades.
That also made Troy want to become a musician even more, so he and his friends created instruments from odds and ends they found around Tremé; Troy was happy to find a beat-up trombone, and he fixed it up good. That’s the best part of being a musician: you can make music from almost anything.
At the next parade, he grabbed his trombone, jumped in, and started marching with the band. Because he was a little guy and the trombone is a big instrument, Troy’s brother gave Troy the nickname of “Trombone Shorty,” which is what everybody called him from then on.
He even took it to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and he played along with the musicians. He was so loud and so good that Bo Diddley called Trombone Shorty on stage and asked him to jam. Trombone Shorty knew then that he could have his own band, so he did.
Every day after school, his band practiced their music until they were able to perform – and they still perform today! Lately, you’ve played air guitar to a Prince song, and were a drummer on your kitchen table. If your kids caught your love of music, they might likewise dream the dreams found inside the award-winning “Trombone Shorty.”
With the same laissez les bon temps vibe you get from merely standing on a New Orleans sidewalk, author Troy Andrews tells of coming up poor and finding riches in his city’s songs. It’s a story that’ll make children want to dance with music they can almost hear from the pages of this book; those silent songs are underscored by illustrations from Collier, himself an award-winner.
Be sure to check out the author’s notes. Show your kids the pictures. While you could surely read this tale aloud to a 2-year-old, I think kids ages 4-to-7 will like it better. If they love music, especially, “Trombone Shorty” will be a book they won’t be able to wait for.
“Trombone Shorty” by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier [40 pages, $17.95].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
