Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar
Category: Books,Children's Books,Arts, Music & Photography
Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar Details
From School Library Journal K-Gr 2—Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has penned a poignant picture book depicting his close relationship with his grandfather Gus. The author is keenly aware that his musical accomplishments will mean little to the book's target audience and focuses entirely on his childhood, rather than on his later career. Back matter gives readers some basics on his life, including the charmingly humble statement "Keith later began playing in a band with a group of friends, including Mick Jagger. They called themselves the Rolling Stones." He relates his experiences spending time with Gus, who took the boy on walks and gave him his first guitar, which started a lifelong passion for music. There's little of the hilariously snarky Keith that adult readers will know from his autobiography, Life (Little, Brown, 2011); written in free verse, the text is tender, though never cloying, and both the author's love for music and his grandfather come through. Loose black-and-white pen-and-ink illustrations, done by Keith's daughter, affectionately depict the title characters, as well as the various objects in their orbit (musical instruments, Big Ben, tea kettles, a double-decker bus), while backgrounds provide rich washes of purples, blues, yellows, and green, emphasizing the beauty and the sense of magic of the music. A gentle story celebrating the importance of family.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal Read more Review * "[The story] is all told so naturally and with such sweet verve that readers may not notice that this is the legendary guitarist of the Rolling Stones. The vibrant and evocative pictures are done by Richards' daughter...Over swathes of rich color she lays pen-and-ink drawings of figures and instruments, architectural details, free-floating musical notes--and cakes and tea things--that brilliantly carry the power of love and music into visual imagery. A CD of the author reading the story and playing a bit of "Malagueña" is included, and it is pretty wonderful, too. A beautiful example of artistic bookmaking, a story of family love and lore, and the magic of music personified in a way that's utterly accessible to children--and their dazzled parents."―Kirkus, starred review* "Theodora Richards, Keith's daughter, contributes fluid, inked sketches and other freestyle graphic elements that exude love and spontaneity. The accompanying CD proves Richards is as adept at telling bedtime stories as he is performing on stage."―Publishers Weekly, starred review"This rocks, though the effect is more like being rocked in a grandparent's arms."―Booklist"Beautifully told."―The New York Times Read more About the Author Keith Richards is a musician, singer, songwriter, and founding member of the rock band the Rolling Stones. Widely considered one of the best guitarists in the world, he has a collection of over 350 guitars. His memoir, Life, received unanimous critical acclaim and was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Mr. Richards has five children and five grandchildren.Theodora Dupree Richards, named after her great-grandfather Theodore Augustus Dupree, is an artist and a daughter of Keith Richards and Patti Hansen. To research the images for this project, she traveled to the Richards family home in Dartford, England, and consulted family and historical photographs of her father's childhood era. This is her first book. Read more
Reviews
There is such a fine line between being a genius and being a knucklehead, sometimes. It is easy to get distracted by the hard living rock guitarist image and forget that Keith is one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century. Keith has led a remarkable, incredible life, despite making choices that were sub-optimal at certain points. His essentially humanity shows through in this warm little story. Keith has this ability to look at life and appreciate all of the little marvels that others might take for granted. Like Keith's best songwriting, this story delivers an emotional impact without being overtly sentimental.This story works in the context of being a children's story, but still feels like an authentic tale being told. It isn't simplistic or trite, yet still makes sense to kids. As always, Keith is full of surprises.
