From Publishers Weekly
The young narrator of Komaiko's verses is a devotee of musicnot of the concert-hall fare her Grandma is always urging on her, but of the sounds, songs, and rhythms she hears all around: "I like the beat/ Of my feet/ When my shoes hit the street/ And I rapatapa-tapa/ On the hot concrete." Grandma perseveres in sharing her love of the symphony, and succeeds when a concert in the park provides the vibrant, participatory atmosphere that sets the orchestral music aloft, giving it a life and verve a child can appreciate. This is a high-spirited celebration of music of all sorts and a joyful recognition of the spontaneous rhythms of everyday living. Komaiko's poetry skillfully mirrors the child's moods and perceptions: a regular, evenly regimented pace when describing what the girl perceives as the monotony of indoors concerts, then it soars and dances with syncopation when she tells of the street music she likes best. Westman's illustrations paint a city teeming with sights as well as sounds, and add a zest and energy all their own. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1 A young girl is less than thrilled with her grandmother's choice of music for her. Grandma keeps taking her to the symphony, which she finds boring. The narrator much prefers the music of the street, as when ``the junk man finds a blues stick/ And shabops-it/ On the tops-it/ Of the garbage cans.'' At last Grandma suggests a night concert in the park which meets with the girl's ap proval, especially when the conductor chooses her to replace him on the podi um. The story is told in verse that has a pronounced cadence which quickly be comes tiresome. The rhymes are often forced, and often the words themselves seem meaningless rather than evoca tive, as when they reach the park ``the strings bow and pick it/ To the clicks of the cricket,/ And coyotes/ Sing their no teys/ For the timpani.'' While the timpa ni do appear in the illustrations several pages later, nowhere is there a coyote in this totally urban setting. Westman's brightly colored cartoons are appealing, reminding one of Byron Barton's work in books such as Wheels (Crowell, 1979), but they cannot make up for the banal verse they accompany. Eleanor Schick's One Summer Night (Greenwil low, 1977; o.p.) is a better treatment of a similar theme. Elaine Fort Weische del, Turner Free Library, Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
