FRANKIE LIKED TO SING

A picture-book biography of that legendary Jersey boy, Frank Sinatra.

The lightly sketched, brightly hued images evoke both the style and spirit of their protagonist, from the 1920s and ’30s through the ’80s, bearing witness to the title, as in every image, the figure in the suit and fedora is singing. In this homage, the husband-and-wife author-and-illustrator team focuses on how much the Hoboken-born, Italian-American Frank Sinatra loved to sing, even from his earliest days, and how hard he worked in order to sing to more and more people. Brilliant small sketches of his album covers are sprinkled like jewels throughout the pages. Seven and Christy are also good at capturing how Sinatra’s voice made his audiences feel: “When Frankie sang, girls screamed with excitement…because his singing made them burst with happiness.” His fame in the movies and in recording is touched upon, although no mention is made of his marriages or the unsavory pieces of his life. But because the focus is on the power and influence of his voice, it works. There’s even a list of a dozen songs the authors think children will especially love, including “High Hopes” and “Pocketful of Miracles.”

A remarkably successful lens into the life and career of one of the 20th century’s formidable musical talents.