The Music of Life by Louis Thomas. PICTURE
BOOK. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2020. $18. ISBN 978-0-374-30315-0
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
The author introduces you to Lenny, a music composer who,
like all artists (he says), likes to create at night. After sitting at his desk
for hours without a single musical note coming to mind, his cat Pipo gives him
an idea. Hearing the cat “lick, lick, lick” inspires him to write down his first notes. Different
common sounds reach his ears, such as “plic, ploc, pluc” of dripping water and
the tweets of birds, which inspire him to write down notes after notes. As day
dawns, he heads outside and continues to be inspired by common sounds: “squick,
squick, squick” of running feet, buzzing bees, “swift, swift, swift” of a gardener
doing some raking. Even snail-like silences find a spot in his symphony of
life.
Swelling with onomatopoeias from daily life, you could use
this book to teach this concept, or inspire students to listen for their own
music all around. Pointing out the Eiffel Tower in the illustrations could lead
to discussions about landmarks, how ambient sounds may differ from location to
location, or how our surroundings can support (or distract from) our efforts.
P.K. Foster, MLS, school librarian
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