Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Our Little Mushroom: A Story of Franz Schubert and His Friends by Emily Arnold McCully - ADVISABLE

Our Little Mushroom: A Story of Franz Schubert and His Friends
by Emily Arnold McCully
. PICTURE BOOK, BIOGRAPHY Margaret K. McElderry (Simon and Schuster). 2022. $19. 9781534488786 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Franz Shubert was a musical prodigy, and very shy. He came from a musical family and played the violin, viola and piano, but his father discouraged him to seek a career in music - it was just too difficult. Shubert's friends were poets and playwrights and musicians and they encouraged him to pursue his dreams. Without a patron, however, few composers were able to make a living, but that didn't stop Shubert, he continued to write music, sometimes writing songs using his friend' lyrics. Shubert's friends made sure he had the means to write his music and helped make sure the world heard it. 

I've always loved the music of Franz Schubert, but I had no idea that he was a prodigy. This well-told biography had me in tears by the end. Simply told through the perspective of Franz's friends, it's a great independent read for 3rd grade and above. The illustrations were great, depicting 19th-century Vienna. I really appreciated the author's note with a glimpse at the political undertones of the time. Listening to Schubert as I write this review!

Lisa Librarian

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