About this item
A picture book celebration of the indomitable Muddy Waters, a blues musician whose fierce and electric sound laid the groundwork for what would become rock and roll.Muddy Waters was never good at doing what he was told. When Grandma Della said the blues wouldn't put food on the table, Muddy didn't listen. And when record producers told him no one wanted to listen to a country boy playing country blues, Muddy ignored them as well. This tenacious streak carried Muddy from the hardscrabble fields of Mississippi to the smoky juke joints of Chicago and finally to a recording studio where a landmark record was made. Soon the world fell in love with the tough spirit of Muddy Waters. In blues-infused prose and soulful illustrations, Michael Mahin and award-winning artist Evan Turk tell Muddy's fascinating and inspiring story of struggle, determination, and hope.
About the Author
Hi!My name is Michael Mahin. I'm a children's author, screenwriter, and wannabe rockstar! (Seriously, who doesn't want to be a rockstar!? ) My picture books tend to be about people who use their creativity, and specifically music, to make the world a better place. I hope they inspire kids to be more creative, more confident, and more compassionate, while also providing parents and educators with an entertaining way to teach children about diversity, creativity, and different cultures. My picture books, Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters, Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band, and When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana have earned a lot of cool awards, including being named to The New York Times' Best Illustrated Books list, the New York Public Library's Best Books for Kids list, the NPR Best Books List, winning a Parent's Choice Gold Medal, getting a Eureka! Gold Medal from the California Reading Association, getting a Blue Ribbon from the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Literature, and winning the 2017 Outstanding Nonfiction Picture Book Award from the Children's Literature Council of Southern California. They even earned Muddy illustrator Evan Turk the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator award, and illustrator Jose Ramirez, the prestigious the Society of Illustrator's Gold Medal for Original Art for his work on When Angels Sing.If you visit my website, you'll see I blog about writing and dreaming big. My goal there is to help writers get more comfortable with the craft and process of writing.Here are a few fun facts about me:-My mom is Chinese. My dad, Scotch-Irish.-I have a Ph.D. in American literature from Claremont Graduate University.-I have a pair of Star Wars Vans slip-ons.-I love to cook! And garden.-I spent 6 months in China studying Kung Fu and Buddhism while in graduate school. Martial arts is a lifelong love of mine.-I used to be a singer and lead guitarist in a well-known, Southern California 80s cover band called Neon Nation. (Commence laughing!) -My wife and I have known each other since high-school and I'm the proud father of a boy (8ish) and girl (5ish) .
