The Buzz About Dizzy: Jonah Winter
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-- School Library Journal, 9/20/2006
Coming out next month, Dizzy, by Jonah Winter with illustrations by Sean Qualls, (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks.) has already drawn great reviews and "stars" from Kirkus Reviews and SLJ. In our October issue, Lee Bock writes: "Through a powerful marriage of rhythmic text and hip and surprising illustrations, the unorthodox creator of Bebop comes to life." SLJ caught up with Winter to find out how you get bebop into a book.
What drew you to Dizzy?
Ever since I was a kid, I've always loved bebop—Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis. As a picture book biographer, I was amazed that no one had done a book on Dizzy Gillespie. It seems like such a no-brainer! Of that whole crowd, his life could be told most easily to a young child. He led a more or less spotless life, never did drugs, was a faithful husband, and was an inspirational figure to others throughout his life. Voila! Picture book biography!
Did you know about the abuse he experienced from his father before you undertook the project?
No. I knew very little about his personal life…The more I found out, though, the more one single plotline emerged as the most essential one for my purposes—to show the various and sometimes painful sources of his creative brilliance. I wasn't physically abused as a child, but as a musician I certainly used music as an outlet for emotional pain. A lot of people do. This would seem to be one way in which a child might be able to connect with the story of such a famous, monumental figure.
How did you research his life?
I read a couple of adult biographies…When I research for a book, my aim is to, like Sherlock Holmes (not that I consider myself to be a brilliant detective!), only find out as much information as I will need... to write a story that children will be able to connect with. So, my research is not exhaustive. I make sure my facts are right, I find the facts that will most help me to tell the story I want to tell, and then I try to translate that story into terms that a child will understand, and that will be fun and accessible for the Attention Deficit Disorder crowd (of which I have always been a member).
You did a great job of getting across the idea of bebop. Was this a challenge?
No—that was the fun part. I have always been a fan of Beat Generation poetry. I know it has its limitations, and is easily parodied, but it's fun—and that style seemed perfect for getting across the Dizzy Gillespie story.
The illustrations and text are so well-integrated. Any comment on working with Sean Qualls?
I had never worked with Sean before this, and I didn't see the illustrations until they were pretty much all done, but I will say—they are so surprising, subtle. The cool palette he uses provides such a nice counterpoint to the crrrrrrrrrazy text. It really gets across the tension between what Dizzy Gillespie and his cohorts were doing with their music (which was explosive and cool at the same time) and that oh-so-hip/cool exterior which totally changed the image of how jazz musicians were perceived.
What do you hope kids will get out of it?
Having been a class clown like Dizzy my whole life, I would hope that this text would especially inspire all those kids who don't fit in, who don't play by the rules—the rebels, the clowns of the world—to see that there are positive and truly brilliant outlets for such energy. And of course, more than anything…I hope to help foster a new generations of Dizzy/bebop fans!
