The One About the Blackbird

Connecting the generations through music, The One About the Blackbird by Melanie Florence and Matt James, teaches readers about the joy music can bring and how perseverance pays off.

Jack loved listening to his grandfather strum his guitar and especially loved when his grandfather played the song about the blackbird. One day, Jack decides he wants to play too so his grandfather patiently teaches him chord after chord until Jack is so good he is playing for huge crowds of people. Time passes and Jack returns home to visit his grandfather where the story comes back to the beginning with Jack teaching his grandfather to strum along with him.

Melanie Florence shows readers how music can be a connective tissue between people. In this case, connecting a grandfather and grandson. In this beautiful, musical story, readers have the opportunity to see how Jack and his grandfather connect and reflect on the fun and unique things that they may do with their grandparents or any other special adult in their lives.

This story took me back to my childhood and memories of my dad playing the guitar for all of us any time there was a special occasion. We would rock out to Jingle Bells during the holidays and Cat Stevens the rest of the year. His old guitar is still sitting in the basement of their home, not really being played anymore unless my brothers are around as I never picked up the guitar bug.

Stories like this are so special because they remind us of people and memories no matter what age you are. They also show young readers how they can go from being the student to being the teacher just like that. 

For young readers, this is a story of stick-to-itiveness. Persevering even when something is hard because “if it was easy, everyone would do it.” It’s a lovely reminder, no matter what you are trying to master, whether it be sports, music, performance, chess, etc. when we keep at it, the fun really begins.

Matt James was the perfect person to illustrate this story. His folksy, oil paintings bring the perfect vibe to the story. As I was reading through and admiring the beautiful pictures the song Blackbird by The Beatles was playing through my mind, one that I often heard growing up. The illustrations perfectly connect music, the story and memory.