Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At its best, this tribute to the soul-lifting power of music rings out with snappy, cleverly conceived rhymes and the playful visual rhythms of the French artist's stylized gouaches. But the tone varies considerably. Moss (Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin) delivers an uncharacteristically flat opener: "Music fills our lives with magic;/ music is a wondrous thing./ Music bright or music tragic,/ music makes you cry or sing." Elsewhere, his sophisticated, catchy rhymes casually juggle jargon into melodies of their own: "Tango, rumba, cha-cha, mambo, music with a hip-hop beat./ Any number, any combo, gets me up and on my feet." Petit-Roulet's eye-catching art depicts wiry-bodied cartoon characters who sport Pinocchio-length noses and, sometimes, yellow or blue skin. Spreads and compact vignettes (which complement the small trim size) envision diverse musical events, from operas to parades. Vivid red and cobalt clothing punctuates the more subtle lime green, peach and pale yellow backdrops, while the type dances up and down the page, visually echoing the text (e.g., when Moss writes that "Brass or strings, when played with brio,/ lift my spirits to the sky," the words in the last line stairstep up the spread). Jazzy endpapers feature graphic, color silhouettes of various instruments. Ages 5-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-After singing the praises of an orchestra in Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (S & S, 1995) and a band in Our Marching Band (Putnam, 2001), Moss now extols the joys of music itself. In rhyming text, he explains that music is important because it appears in all aspects of our lives, from the mundane "music in the elevator,/sometimes music on the phone" to the exciting "Brass or strings, when played with brio,/lift my spirits to the sky." Many different forms are mentioned, including orchestral and opera, and several of the terms and names will need some adult explanation. ("Verdi, Humperdinck, Puccini;/opera is such a thrill./Those by Bizet and Rossini please me,/and they always will.") However, the author's passion for his subject is clearly felt and expressed. The illustrations, with their elongated, cartoonlike figures and shapes, are dominated by slightly muted shades of blue, red, green, and peach. The placement of the text on the page often reinforces the mood of the message or words. The names of opera composers appear slightly larger, as if sung loudly toward an audience, and the words describing dance seem to skip along the bottom of the page with the dancing feet. This is a great read-aloud that can be paired with Moss's earlier books or with Karla Kuskin's The Philharmonic Gets Dressed (HarperCollins, 1982).-Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A tribute to music--all types, in all venues--is executed in rhymed verse that echoes a steady beat. Brightly colored illustrations of sticklike figures in a two-dimensional space are further enhanced by clever typeface that emphasizes musical concepts. Unfortunately, no attempt is made to explain or otherwise convey different musical styles; only those who are already familiar with them will appreciate the positive message. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A lighthearted paean in verse by radio-host Moss who takes a very basic tack: "Singing, humming, chanting, rapping; fingers snapping. / Music's grand!" Birthdays, 4th of July, even elevators are occasions for music; and every kind brings out the dance in the young narrator. Petit-Roulet's gouaches use the simplest of forms and shapes: his round- or oval-headed people are barely more than stick figures (they resemble nothing so much as a set of clad and personified musical notes). His emphasis, however, is on their affinity for music, whether they are playing it, dancing or singing, or simply responding to the beat of a marching band. The verse ends rather abruptly: "what would life be without music? / Think of what we would have missed!" But for the rest, it bounces, it sings, and makes a great read-aloud. If it gets youngsters to ask who Gershwin is, or Ellington, or what opera or chamber music sounds like, it will have transcended its storytelling venue to reach an even higher note. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
