Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Frankie Liked to Sing
Illustrator: Jana Christy
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Abrams, 2015 ISBN: 978-1419716447
Frankie was not like the other children who lived in his neighborhood in Hoboken, New Jersey. The “scrawny” boy went around dressed in the slick suits that his mother bought for him in the department store, which meant of course that the other kids made fun of Frankie and picked fights with him. The thing that really set Frankie apart was the fact that he loved to sing. The radio in Frankie’s room was his “best friend,” and Frankie spent hours singing with Bing Crosby and other famous singing stars.
Frankie also like to sing for others and sometimes he would take a break from his homework so that he could stand on the piano in her father’s saloon and sing for the customers. Frankie also sang for the guests who came to his mother’s parties, and this audience, just like the one in the saloon, was always very appreciative.
One thing Frankie was not good at was studying, so he left school when he was quite young. More than anything he wanted to get a job that would allow him to sing for a living. Frankie’s mother helped him get jobs singing at parties and events all over Hoboken, but Frankie wanted more. Much more. He wanted to sing in a venue that would allow him to connect with his audience the way Bing Crosby did when he was on stage. Frankie decided that what he needed to do was to go to New York City, just across the river form his home in New Jersey. Surely there Frankie would be able to find some new opportunities, and that is just what Frankie did.
In this wonderful picture book children will discover the story of a boy who just wanted to sing. They will see how Frank Sinatra kept on singing and how he did everything he could to seek out the audience that he so badly wanted to have.
At the back of the book the author provides readers with further information about Frank Sinatra’s work and his life.
