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AND THERE WAS MUSIC

Name: AND THERE WAS MUSIC
Author: Marta Pantaleo
ISBN: 9780802856401

by Marta Pantaleo ; illustrated by Marta Pantaleo ; translated by Debbie Bibo ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2025

Sweeping and thought-provoking. Readers will agree: “Music is magical.”

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A loving tribute to the ways music shapes and reflects our cultures and to the unique way it binds humanity.

There’s an old maxim that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” Yet Pantaleo admirably manages the daunting task of capturing music’s complexity through word and image. The author starts with small, personal experiences, describing in brief, straightforward language how music allows one to “relive a memory.” It can elicit tears or soothe anxious hearts. Pantaleo then widens her perspective to consider music that holds important cultural meaning. Occasional overly broad statements feel a tad discordant, but pages showing Maori hakas or Hawaiian people blowing conch shell trumpets nicely demonstrate that music can play both symbolic and utilitarian roles. Pantaleo closes by urging readers to “follow its rhythm. Can you hear it?” Raucous, wildly colorful images accompanying the text, translated from Italian, are as exuberant as a rock concert. Dark lines emanating from instruments and mouths feel like sound bursting forth; readers will readily sing the praises of the chunky, high-contrast portraits of diverse musicians from around the world and beyond—one image depicts astronaut Wang Yaping performing “Jasmine Flower” on the International Space Station. Brief but comprehensive backmatter provides further information on the culture, instrument, or musical element on each page.

Sweeping and thought-provoking. Readers will agree: “Music is magical.” (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 22, 2025

ISBN: 9780802856401

Page Count: 52

Publisher: Eerdmans

Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
DOGS AND US
by Marta Pantaleo ; illustrated by Marta Pantaleo ; translated by Debbie Bibo & Yvette Ghione

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)