This fine book, geared to young readers, is part of a series about extraordinary achievers from all ethnic, professional and social groups. Over 60 jazz musicians are profiled ranging from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Django Reinhardt and Tito Puente, who brought European and Latin influences to the music, and Bill Evans and Ray Brown whose impact on piano and bass, respectively, changed the music. Groups such as Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and the Modern Jazz Quartet are profiled as well as contemporary musicians Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, and Diana Krall. There are photographs and short profiles of dozens more artists. The book contains a Glossary, suggested reading, videos and online sites, a select discography, and an index. Don’t dismiss this as a children’s book. It’s very well written, interesting, and informative for all ages.

When Marvin Martin retired as an editor for World Book Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia Britannica he contributed education articles to the Chicago Tribune and served as co-editor for the Rochelle Lee Fund, a non-profit educational organization. He is also the author of The Beatles: Music Was Never the Same and Arthur Ashe: Of Tennis and the Human Spirit.