Frankie Finds the Blues, and So Should Your Kid
A review
Writers are told to write what they know, and the same would presumably be true when writing a children’s book since we were all a kid once ourselves. The author, Joel Harper, did just that when he penned Frankie Finds the Blues, a beautiful and heartfelt story about a boy who is determined to learn how to play the blues. The narrative has all the hallmarks of a perfect children’s story. It teaches kids about a form of music that has influenced today’s popular rhythms, which makes it an educational read. As well, it’s rooted in moral lessons about not giving up and not judging people by their appearances. The children’s media industry aspires to create content that educates, exemplifies empathy, and imbues positive values, and this story does it all and then some. You should read this story to your kid (or have them read it to you) because it’ll leave the whole family feeling inspired.
When Frankie’s grandmother invites him to a blues concert, he immediately replies, “I like Hip Hop.” His grandmother explains to him that Hip Hop comes from the blues, and Frankie agrees to give the blues a try. At the concert, Frankie is blown away by the music, “It sounds like he is playing 10 guitars at the same time.” His grandmother explains that the style of playing is called fingerpicking, which is “when the thumb holds down the bass notes and the other fingers play the treble notes.”
“The Music made Frankie Feel like he was taken on a journey. “ — From Frankie Finds the Blues
Frankie is inspired to learn how to fingerpick, and when he gets home, he rushes off to find his old guitar from the garage. Frankie tries to teach himself how to play by immersing himself in the music and history, but he quickly realizes that he needs help. When he begins lessons with a teacher, he finds fingerpicking a huge challenge that hurts his fingers. Frankie is determined, however, and continues to practice even as his peers make fun of him. He refuses to give up.
One day, Frankie is playing at the park when he hears someone say, “Sounding real good.” He looks up to see that the compliment came from the fellow who sleeps on the park benches and collects cans around the neighborhood.
Frankie finds out that his name is Walter Brown, and Walter just so happens to be amazing at playing the blues! Frankie asks Walter if he would give him guitar lessons: “As long as it’s alright with your parents, I suppose I can try,” Walter replies. Frankie dashes home to ask his mother and grandmother for permission. “He has been in the community for as long as I can remember,” Frankie’s grandmother recalls. The next day his mother and grandmother go to the park to meet Walter. They are charmed by his good-natured spirit and impressed by his musical talent. His mother gives Frankie the okay to learn from Walter. Frankie uses his savings to buy Walter a guitar in exchange for the lessons, and soon the two of them are drawing crowds as they play together in the park.
Joel Harper had two prominent children’s book agents interested in representing the book, but with the one caveat that he drop the homeless character. Joel refused to do this, and that decision cost him the attachment of both editors as well as several publishers.
Joel expressed adamantly, Frankie Finds the Blues is not just about learning how to play music. Walter Brown is an unseen member of the community who has a lot to offer. Frankie could learn musical notes and techniques from a teacher or read about the blues as he also does in the story. He experiences something completely different, however, when he engages with Walter. Walter is not just mimicking a style. When he plays, he’s the embodiment of everything that draws Frankie to the music. By learning from Walter, Frankie shines a light on someone who was ignored and misunderstood by bringing him to the forefront of the community.
Walter Brown’s character is inspired by a family friend who Joel had known since he was a kid.
His name was Jim Smith. Joel recalls with vivid emotion, “He had this larger than life personality. When he would laugh it was like thunder coming down from the sky, it was so loud and beautiful! There was something about his infectious smile, that was magical… he was so full of compassion, a visionary, a philosopher.” Jim spent a lot of his days in the Claremont College Library pouring over books and soaking up as much information as he could.
Jim had a mission and deep desire to help black students at the colleges eliminate their student loans. “It was an incredible sight to see him at the library with dozens of books scattered around the table. Often times, there would be students sitting with him and it was clear, it had taken some prodding to get them to trust him and come over for support. Jim spoke often about maintaining hope in the goodness in the human spirit,” Joel recalled. As Joel described him, he teared up remembering his old friend and the meaningful ways Jim impacted his life. That’s why it was so important for Joel to tell the story of Frankie the way he did.
When Joel was a kid, soccer was his life, and he did not care to learn an instrument because he thought it was painstakingly boring, and he had a hard time sitting still. Joel was a sophomore in college when his grandmother called to invite him to go see Taj Mahal. He recalls being quite stressed out with school at the time of the call. His response was “Grandma, who’s Taj Mahal?” Joel vividly recalls his grandmother’s exact words 30 years ago: “Oh, Joel! You will recognize the music. I’m coming to pick you up!” They sat in the front row, and during the performance Joel was awestruck. Just like his character Frankie, he became determined to learn how to play the blues. The timing of his grandmother’s phone call ended up being exactly what Joel needed, as Joel credits learning how to play the guitar with getting him through college. The relaxation and meditation that comes with playing an instrument was life-changing for him.
When asked what he’d like for kids to get out of Frankie Finds the Blues, Joel replied, “I hope the book will inspire children to want to learn more about the history of music and understand that the popular music they’re listening to derives its roots from the blues.” He also hopes that they’ll maybe want to pick up a guitar to learn whatever music soothes them.
Joel used to work at a boys group home, and the kids were angry, hurt, frustrated, and would use drugs to alleviate their pain. His grandfather, the co-founder of the Folk Music Center, donated guitars to the group home, and Joel would often incorporate music in his group sessions. He would stay after work to teach the kids who were interested in learning how to play the guitar. Many of those kids who had trouble sleeping would find that playing the guitar would calm them and that they no longer needed to take the Benadryl the staff would give them to fall asleep.
Joel also hopes that this book will be a conversation starter about homelessness. He’s passionate about abandoning the word homeless as a descriptor and making advances towards using terms such as unhoused or houseless to further humanize those who have to experience such hardships. He hopes the next time a kid (or and adult for that matter) sees a human sleeping on a bench, they won’t judge that person by their appearance.
To learn more about Frankie Finds the Blues or to buy a copy, visit Joel Harper’s website.
