Kali's Song

Kali's Song by Jeanette Winter
Illustrated by Jeanette Winter
Published by Schwartz and Wade Books
2012

     Thousands of years ago, during prehistoric times, Kali watched his mother painting animals on a cave wall. She told him that soon he'll be a man and he will have to go out and hunt those animals.  His father gave Kali a bow and arrow and told him to practice. But, while resting after hours of practice Kali idly plucked the string on his bow, he liked the sound it made. "Then, still plucking he put the bow to his lips. As he opened and closed his mouth, new sounds filled the quiet air."  Kali forgot about hunting and fell in love with music. As the day of the big hunt arrived, Kali heads out with his bow and arrows. When he comes across a herd of mammoths, their beauty inspires Kali to play music for them. Soon both animals and hunters are mesmerized by the sounds Kali produces, the magic of his music, something only a shaman, a leader, would be able to produce.
     Kali's Song is a remarkable picture book about the beauty and power and music and art. It's a quiet book whose message speaks volumes. The lyrical quality of its text and the gentle quality of its illustrations are a perfect match.  Gorgeous book to share out loud.

Truckery Rhymes

Truckery Rhymes by John Scieszka
Illustrated by David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon
2009

     Since today is Father's Day, I wanted to change it up a bit and instead of picking a book about a father and son, I decided to chose the book that my husband and son share most often: Truckery Rhymes.  Jon Scieszka's Trucktown characters take on traditional nursery rhymes with a twist.  Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star becomes "Rumble, Rumble, Monster Max. Can you jump those junkyard stacks?" There is also "Rock-a-Bye Mixer at the site top. When the wind blows, the building will rock."  Or my son's favorite: "Patty cake, patty cake, Dumper Dan. Dump me some dirt as fast as you can. Slide it and drop it and mark it DD, and pile it in the lot for Melvin and me."
     My boy loves the rhymes, not only because he already knows the rhythm from the classic ones, but because the trucks all have personalities and he truly becomes immersed in the Trucktown world.  This is more evident in the new version of The Wheels on the Bus, now titled The Wheels on the Truck.  It includes all the different types of trucks with all sorts of sounds which are a blast to read aloud and sing around the house; and at the end of the song, there is a display of all the different trucks that are part of Trucktown.
     This is the sort of book that becomes a family classic that the kids want to keep going back to even after the original fever dies down -when they will ask you to read it a million times a day- It's the book version of a blankie.  The illustrations are exciting as well and I love the fact that it can be read from cover to cover or just a couple of rhymes at a time.

Piano Piano

Piano Piano by David Cali

Illustrated by Eric Heliot

Translated from Italian by Randi Rivers

2007

     Every day at 3:00 pm Marcolino sits down in front of the piano to practice his scales.  By 3:13 he's had enough and goes to watch cartoons on TV.  A minute later, his mom makes him go back to practice piano.  He hates playing the piano but he has to keep practicing because his mom wants him to become a grand pianist.  She used to play when she was younger but now she plays the guilt card instead, telling Marcolino that she didn't become a grand pianist herself because after he was born, she didn't have any time to practice. Marcolino would rather be anything else but a pianist: a grand magician, a grand artist, a grand pirate, a grand karate champion.  

     The only day Marcelino gets to do something that doesn't involve the piano keys in on Friday, when he's grandfather takes him to the space museum.  It is there that one day Marcelino tells his grandfather that he doesn't like playing the piano but has to because it is his fault that his mother never became a grand pianist.  When his grandfather has Marcelino and his mother over for dinner, he shares with them a box of pictures of his mom when she was young.  In those old photos she was always smiling, pretending to be a pirate or a pilot, performing magic and painting.  That is except for one photo where she looked very grumpy, the one where she is playing the piano! The secret is out.

      In Piano Piano, David is able to write a clever and entertaining story for kids that also holds a message for adults.  The illustrations remind me of European comic books -like Tintin - which brings back great memories.  They add a lot to the personalities of the charachters: the mom with the pointy nose and chest, Marcelino with the incomprehensible long bangs that stand up straight -another reminder of Tintin-, the grandfather with the pipe and rounded features.  Some interesting details are carried throughout the book, like the skirt his mom is wearing now, which is exactly like the one she had in the picture of her as an unhappy child  in front of a piano.  The skirt pattern is also repeated in the curtains from that childhood image.  

     Piano Piano invites us to take it easy. To relax and not place so much pressure on the kids.  Piano, means soft, easy, in music terms.  So that's it, piano, piano, easy, softly.

     

Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss
Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
1995

    It's never too early to introduce kids to the world of classical music (thanks Mom for giving that world to me!).  Classical music is art and math all at once.  In Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, classical instruments get introduced one by one.  The trombone with its "mournful moan and silken tone",  the trumpet with its "swinging song", the french horn, the "mellow" cello, the violin, the flute "that sends our soul a-shiver", the clarinet, the oboe, the bassoon, and the harp, complete the chamber.  Once they are all together, the conductor and his orchestra begin: "The STRINGS all soar, the REEDS implore, the BRASSES roar with notes galore. It's music that we all adore. It's what we go to concerts for."
     Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin uses a lot of content vocabulary, introducing the concepts of solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet, nonet and chamber.  At the same time, the book reinforces mathematical concepts of addition and counting.  The verses flow so well though, that at no point do you feel like you're being "taught", you're just taken on a wonderful musical exploration.  The illustrations are a beautiful accompaniment to the lyrical language.  This is a great book to give kids a taste of the world of classical music and if they're anything like my own child, they'll be shouting "Encore!"