Libba: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten

As a child in North Carolina at the end of the 19th century, Elizabeth Cotten taught herself to play her brother’s guitar. It didn’t matter that she was left-handed: she just played the guitar upside down. “It was kind of like brushing your teeth with your foot,” writes Veirs, a singer-songwriter making her children’s book debut. Cotten didn’t pursue a career in music (“Time swept Libba up, and she stopped playing guitar”), and when readers next see her, she is a grandmother working in a department store. After being hired as a housekeeper by Ruth Crawford Seeger, Cotten impressed the famous family of folk musicians with her playing, leading to a lovely second act as a musician. Newcomer Fazlalizadeh’s graphite drawings bring a moody atmosphere to Cotten’s story, an elegant and moving portrait of a musician’s late-in-life success and singular approach to her craft. Ages 5–8. (Jan.)