Passing the Music Down

Sarah Sullivan (author)

Barry Root (illustrator)

Candlewick Press, USA: April 2011

ISBN: 9780763637538

Genres: picture book

Issues: music, talented, tradition

'With his hands gnarled from work,/ the old man lifts his bow./ Gives a nod to the crowd and saws out a lick./ Passing the music down.'

His parents have brought the young boy a long way just to hear this very special musician playing fiddle music the traditional way. The boy has a talent of his own and is keen to learn..

Decades apart in age, the two are bonded through their music and the belief that the best way to learn is to 'pass the  music down', to teach the style and traditions of American fiddle music as it's been played since white men came to the land. As the older man comes to the end of his life, the boy promises that he, too, will 'pass the music down'.

Based on the true story of Jake Krack, whose parents moved across America to enable their son to learn from the great Melvin Wine, a coal-miner and fourth-generation fiddle player, this is an inspirational story. Sullivan captures the sound of the 'old time' music in her rhythmic verse, which just cries out to be read aloud, preferably to the sound of traditional fiddle tunes. Barry Root's illustrations are filled with the love of the land, music and tradition that are the bond between the boy and the old man, emphasizing the rural pioneers that first played the tunes celebrated in Sullivan's verse.

A beautifully crafted picture book that reminds readers to value our past and carry the best of it into our future.