TUBBY THE TUBA

In this schmaltzy but satisfying 1940s tale, a tuba that wants to play melodies rather than just oompah-ing along in the background finds unlikely inspiration. Derided by his fellow instruments for being overambitious, Tubby sadly wanders off to sit on a woodland log—where he’s joined by a frustrated-musician bullfrog who teaches him a simple musical passage. Returning to the orchestra pit, Tubby proceeds to win over both renowned visiting conductor Signor Pizzicato and the other instruments—whereupon, in a surreal twist, the frog reappears to make the lesson explicit: “We have our points, too, don’t we?” In a retro style that harks back to the story’s original era, Cole outfits the flexible-bodied instruments with human faces and limbs (though modern dress), and sends bars of music floating past at opportune moments. All in all, the story will still appeal to modern young audiences, and though Danny Kaye and Carol Channing, among others, have recorded versions of it, the publisher has chosen to include on CD the harder-to-find original, read by the lyricist/author with musical accompaniment. (Picture book. 5-8)