"Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue"

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue by Anna Harwell Celenza tells the story of how George Gershwin found inspiration for and penned his notable piece, often cited as a quintessential American sound, the Rhapsody in Blue. This is a very wordy picture book, so I think it'd be suitable for higher level Elementary genreal music classes or a middle school general music class. If one was to do a unit on Americn music and the creation of the American "classical" canon, this would be a good book to read. It tells the story of how it was a surprise premier for the audience, and Gershwin, and the stress that came with the short due date, how he found inspiration, and the effect it had on music history. It has fun illustrations, and tells the story in a way that'd keep readers engaged. The book comes with a CD that contains the rhapsody in blue, so that could be playing as soon as class starts to set the kids up.