During his lifetime, Louis Armstrong offered at least two stories of how he started playing the trumpet. In this version, Kimmel retells how a Russian immigrant family paved the way for Armstrong to become the most famous jazz player in history. Seven-year-old Armstrong works for Karnofsky's, collecting junk to support his family. He knows little about being Jewish but recognizes how unusual it is for a white family to treat him so well. When the Karnofskys give him a cornet for Hanukkah, they fulfill his wish to own a real horn. By downplaying the gritty details of poverty in Armstrong's family and neighborhood, Kimmel sacrifices historical authenticity, but his vibrant images of the rich culture of New Orleans in the early 1900s, with its hot jazz scene, ethnic diversity, and Mississippi River setting, will captivate readers. Despite a slight discrepancy between narrative descriptions and the jacket art, Bernardin's realistic cover presents a vibrant image of young Armstrong, with a bit of the Crescent City in the background. Black-and-white inside art completes the package. Nancy Kim Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved