Ludwig Van Beethoven: Musical Pioneer (Rookie Biography) [Library Binding]

Carol Greene (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-- To describe Beethoven as a sad little boy whose father drank and beat him and who later went deaf and walked around looking like a tramp is not misleading; on the contrary, it is all too true. It just misses the point. Behind Beethoven's personal trials was real genius--but musical genius is almost impossible to describe for this age group. Only M. B. Goffstein in A Little Schubert (Godine, 1985) has come close, and she included a record of Schubert's waltzes. Educators may be better off playing tapes of some of Beethoven's more accessible music and waiting until children are ready for biographies with less oversimplification. The book is attractive, with a mix of photographs, old prints, and drawings, many of which are in color. For those who want a very basic biography of Beethoven, the facts are here. --Ann Stell, The Smithtown Library, NY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Library Binding: 45 pages
• Publisher: Childrens Pr (December 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0516042084
• ISBN-13: 978-0516042084
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,935,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( B ) > Beethoven, Ludwig

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introductory book on Beethoven, January 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Ludwig Van Beethoven: Musical Pioneer (Rookie Biography) (Library Binding)

This book is a wonderful way to introduce your child to one of the great composers. As the book lays open, there is usually one very large picture and then writing in large print. The whole book is probably a 20 minute read. It does give some detail of Beethoven's rather horrid childhood, but this detail allows the child to understand the composer's work better. I followed this book with Beethoven by Reba Paeff Mirsky, a long chapter book. After my 6 year old and I completed this sequence with both Mozart and Beethoven, she said "Mommy you can hear Beethoven's childhood problems in his music. Mozarts is so calm and sweet. His childhood was easy." I kid you not! Putting a bunch of cds on shuffle, she used this to figure out correctly which songs were by which composer. One mistake she made was Beethoven music modified to make people sleep - in other words Beethoven's music played the way he never intended it to be played. Slight details of the misery of his childhood are key to understanding the beauty he made from his pain.