Customer Reviews

Meet the Orchestra

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My twin sons cherished this book from the time they were two years old. We have gone through six paperback copies (each insisted on having his own); my boys shared it with everyone they saw, and they even slept with it! They love the clever and colorful pictures, and the short verses describing each instrument capture each instruments' special sound and qualities better than any other children's book I have seen. I played my kids symphonic recordings and a videotape (Bernstein conducting Beethoven's 9th) along with this book, and at age three they could easily identify all of the instruments by sight and sound.

There are not a lot of books about orchestras that are aimed at young children. This book does a few things really well. The illustrations are wonderful, and depict animals buying their tickets and getting seated, playing realistic-looking instruments, and going home. The illustrations get five stars. The text falls off a bit, and demonstrates a problem describing music with words. To say that an instrument sounds "blue" really doesn't say much. The text gets three stars. What is just maddening is that publishers can crank out any number of cartoon character books, with buttons along the side, that make an assortment of sounds. Why then can't some publisher use the same technology to give a brief sample of what the instruments sound like? I read this book, and I think of how it could have been so much better.

Meet the orchestra and all the fabulous instruments that come together to make such wonderful sounds, from the strings that are bowed or plucked, to the woodwinds and brass instruments that you blow air into, to the percussion section where instruments are "beaten, banged, dinged, and pinged." Author Ann Hayes takes you on a marvelous and intriguing journey through the orchestra, describing each section, instrument, and sound in simple, engaging and evocative language. Youngsters will almost be able to hear the low notes of the string bass moan and groan, the sadness of saying good-bye to someone you love when the oboe is played, flags flying and soldiers marching with the notes of the trumpet, and the flash of lightning when the cymbals crash. Unfortunately, Karen Thompson's illustrations are not equal to the text and are a bit dull and uninspired as you see page after page of expressionless animals, dressed in concert garb, holding instruments. Perfect for preschoolers, Meet The Orchestra is a lovely and gentle, read aloud introduction to musical instruments and their sounds the whole family can share together, and should peak the interest of budding little musicians everywhere.

Don't have the luxury of taking kids to a symphony? This book is the best choice for introducing kids to classical music and will give them graphic insight into the joy of an evening with an orchestra. The conductor's role is even explained and each orchestra instrument is clearly identified (without skewing all the attention to strings). The author's descriptions of the sounds from each instrument are delightfully descriptive. The focus floats from timpani to woodwinds and brass. Don't take a kid to a concert hall without reading this book to 'em first.

The book is a great way of introducing music and musical instruments to children.The illustrations are wonderful!The animals are precious. For someone who would like to honor a musician in some way,this book would be a great book to do so.

My daughters really like this book. They love the different animals and instruments. I love the words and descriptions they use while talking about what each instrument does and sounds like. I only wish they had a cassette tape that went along with it to introduce the sounds of the instruments as well.

I bought this book to read to my little grandson. Being a professional trombonist, I was shocked to find that there is absolutely no mention of the trombone. This is inexcusable--do not buy this book if you want a comprehensive book about the symphony orchestra.

I don't have any children, so maybe I'm being too picky with this book but I felt the string section was covered nicely. The Violin, Viola, Cello, and string bass all were discussed. When it came to woodwinds, flute, piccolo, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, and bass clarinet were all shown (they seem to have forgotten saxophone may be more common than oboe.) . The brass section was empty only showcasing French Horn, Trumpet, and Tuba...leaving out euphonium or baritone, cornet, trombone. Basically that brings me to me to my point, the brass section of the book was bad...

Nice warm drawings (though a little stilted, as another reviewer has noted.) The "descriptions" of the instruments - how they sound and what they evoke - are OK, I guess. But I have to point out a significant omission: the trombones! Not only are they one of the funnier-looking instruments, but indispensible in the brass section as well. It would be very embarassing to have to explain their absence to an alert child - I'd avoid the book on that account.

I have to tell you that I really like this book and love the illustrations by Karmen Thompson. This work is a very nice little book which introduces young children to orchestras. All of the characters are animals; tigers, alligators, rabbits, seals, monkeys, raccoons, kola bears, and on and on. Each is dress of curse in human clothing; formal dress as worn during the turn of the century. I like this effect and it is most certainly eye catching and very well executed. Children do love this book and it does indeed feature very nice illustrations of select musical instruments.

As pointed out though by other reviewers; it is extremely difficult to actually describe the sound of music. The author has tried, I will grant you that, but even though the prose is rather lyrical and pleasing to the ear, it most certainly does not give the child an idea of what the instruments that is being featured sounds like.

I can somewhat understand why some may be upset that certain instruments are mentioned here, while other are completely ignored. No sight of a trombone is seen, yet we have a very stately fox playing a bass clarinet while a lady fox plays a B-flat clarinet. I suppose....well, I really don't know what to suppose, come think of it.

This is a good book though despite its shaky areas. It does indeed introduce a child to new things and the pictures are most certainly of very high quality.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks