Gus and Me - Softcover

Richards, Keith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1444015427 ISBN 13: 9781444015423

Publisher: Orion Children's Books, 2015

Synopsis

Keith's grandfather, Theodore Augustus Dupree lived near Seven Sisters Road, in a house filled with instruments and cakes.

A nostalgic look back at happy childhood days as the Rolling Stone star remembers his grandfather - a former big band player who encouraged his grandson to take up the guitar, in this charming picture book whimsically illustrated by Keith Richards' daughter.

About this title

About the Author

Keith Richards is a musician, singer, songwriter, and founding member of the rock band the Rolling Stones. Widely considered one of the best guitarists in the world, he has a collection of over 350 guitars. His memoir, Life, received unanimous critical acclaim and was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Mr. Richards has five children and five grandchildren.
Theodora Dupree Richards, named after her great-grandfather Theodore Augustus Dupree, is an artist and a daughter of Keith Richards and Patti Hansen. To research the images for this project, she traveled to the Richards family home in Dartford, England, and consulted family and historical photographs of her father's childhood era. This is her first book.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2—Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has penned a poignant picture book depicting his close relationship with his grandfather Gus. The author is keenly aware that his musical accomplishments will mean little to the book's target audience and focuses entirely on his childhood, rather than on his later career. Back matter gives readers some basics on his life, including the charmingly humble statement "Keith later began playing in a band with a group of friends, including Mick Jagger. They called themselves the Rolling Stones." He relates his experiences spending time with Gus, who took the boy on walks and gave him his first guitar, which started a lifelong passion for music. There's little of the hilariously snarky Keith that adult readers will know from his autobiography, Life (Little, Brown, 2011); written in free verse, the text is tender, though never cloying, and both the author's love for music and his grandfather come through. Loose black-and-white pen-and-ink illustrations, done by Keith's daughter, affectionately depict the title characters, as well as the various objects in their orbit (musical instruments, Big Ben, tea kettles, a double-decker bus), while backgrounds provide rich washes of purples, blues, yellows, and green, emphasizing the beauty and the sense of magic of the music. A gentle story celebrating the importance of family.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Orion Children's Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1444015427
• ISBN 13: 9781444015423
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32