  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 03/01/2019 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 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 04/01/2019 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. - Copyright 2019 Booklist. Loading...
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