ONE SWEET SONG

In this tale inspired by the Italian performers who serenaded their neighbors from their balconies during the Covid-19 lockdown, a single musical note leads to a neighborhood symphony.

A young tan-skinned girl looks out her window and hears a neighbor play the flute (“One note trills…”). The child steps onto her balcony, chiming her triangle (“One note trills and / now there are two”), which inspires another neighbor to play the violin. Slowly, others join in from their balconies and open windows. A light-skinned neighbor plays a cello, while a South Asian family plays the ghatam and the morsing. A Black family bangs on African drums; a light-skinned neighbor bangs on a pot; several residents create makeshift instruments with remote controls or plastic bottles. The music builds, dips, rises, then slows and becomes silent. As the notes increase, the rhyming text counts to 10 and back down again as the music and voices merge to create a song that celebrates a spontaneous moment of community. The bright illustrations show swirls of colors and musical notes weaving in and out of the homes, suggesting a sense of connection. The residents are racially diverse, including Black and brown people of various shades. Though most are dressed in casual clothing—T-shirts, bathrobes—the South Asian family wears more formal regalia.

A joyful celebration of music and community.