Customer Reviews

Handel, Who Knew What He Liked

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a biography that is fun enough to use as a read aloud. According to Anderson, Handel was quite a character, sneeking things behind his father's back and dueling with his best friend. The funny personal anectdotes spice up the great historical information on each page. The illustrations give a good sence of Handel's personality, and of the period. I especially liked the rococo frames and end pages. Anderson has included a time line, list of recordings, and further reading at the end of the book. Grades K-3.

On the opening page of M.T. Anderson's and Kevin Hawkes' new picture book biography is a portrait of Handel with a bit of commentary attached. "This is George Frideric Handel. He looks very satisfied with things. He's smiling a little, as if he's very sure of himself. You'd have to be sure of youself to wear a wig that gigantic." And that, in a nutshell, describes this world famous composer. Handel was a man who knew what he wanted. Even as a child he was headstrong and decisive. He knew what he liked, he didn't care what others thought, and he made it happen. He was a man of force and spirit who controlled his own destiny, and in doing so became one of the most beloved and respected composers in the world; a man who's music has lived on for centuries..... M.T. Anderson's witty and irreverent text is full of history, marvelous anecdotes of some famous and not so famous events, fun facts, and trivia, and enhanced by Kevin Hawkes lush and expressive artwork. Young and old alike will relish the drama, humor, and brilliant detail in each picture With sidebars within the text explaining musical terminology, and a timeline of Handel's life, and lists of recordings and other biographies at the end, Handel: Who Knew What He Liked, is a joyous, fun-filled masterpiece that is sure to whet the appetites of youngsters 8-12. One of the best new books of 2001, this is definitely a biography that shouldn't be missed!

I am an elementary school music teacher and I read this book to my fourth and fifth grade students. The book held their interest from beginning to end. Both the text and illustrations are excellent. Not only does it tell about the life of Handel, but it also is an example of choosing a path in life that follows one's interest and love. At the end of the reading I played two different short excerpts from The Messiah (one was a "rock" version) and they loved it. But I knew it was a successful lesson when I happened to walk through the lunch room and two of my students (boys) were having a discussion about re-enacting a scene from the book where Handel's best friend challenged him to a duel. The discussion between the boys went something like this: "I'll be Handel" "No, I want to be Handel!!" It's moments like that that make teaching so rewarding!!

My 10 and 12 year old both very much enjoyed this book. The text is quite lengthy and provides a lot of information and the illustrations are enjoyable. A delight! Provides vocabulary as well.

It's very difficult for me to assign a number of stars to this book. On the one hand, I can see the value of this book for children in the 8-12-years category. It introduces them to Handel, gives a lot of information about the period he lived in, and tells the story of his musical life, while giving some interesting anecdotes in sidebars. There is a LOT of information packed into this book. And, the title is wonderful, and its meaning resonates in the story.

On the other hand, I was disappointed in the way this book sounded when read. It sounds uninteresting, flat, with no peaks. This may be due to the nature of the sentences. Subject-Verb-Object -- sentence after sentence after sentence follows this pattern, making the telling of the story sound plodding. I missed a sense of cause-and-effect, a sense of movement, a sense of relationships, a sense of varying sentence structure. Anderson is a talented writer, so I don't know if he did this deliberately, thinking it served some purpose, or if he fell into it without thinking because he was writing a picture book.

In addition, the pages are dark:dark colors, dark art. I'm not sure why this was considered necessary, or why somebody thought it enhanced the story.

I would have to say this book is worth reading for its information, but not for the way the story is told.

I was dissappointed to read this book. First, I wondered, who is going to read this? It's too long for younger readers, and its a picture book, so older children will never pick it up. The narrative is poorly written and lacks cohesiveness. Based on reviews, I thought it would be terrific, but I was very dissappointed.