Waiting to Sing [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

The love of music connects a family, even one separated by a death.

"My family's story was played on the piano," the boy says. His father, a songwriter at heart, played "all the time," his wife standing at his side, the two of them singing. Eventually, son and father played, the boy's hands on the father's so they "traveled the path of the keyboard together." Painstakingly, the boy learned Beethoven's "Fur Elise." Always, even when she was not feeling well, his mother listened, appraised his playing. And then she died. This tender story, an ode to family as much as music, captures in mourning, the piano, like all members of the family, waits to "sing" "Fur Elise" again, and finally the boy, a little older now, hears from down the apartment hall the familiar E and D sharp, "like two friends calling out to one another." His father's hands have lifted. At the end of the story there is a note about "Fur Elise" and the meaning of absence and connection the famous piece had for the composer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Music proves both painful and comforting for a boy and his father after the death of the boy's mother in this picture book by noted poet Kaplan. Through the boy's image-laden narrative, Kaplan describes a family whose "story was played on the piano." Brief memories spill out onto the pages like the notes of a well-loved song: the father playing music while the boy falls asleep; the warm fountain of light pouring over the piano top from a G clef-shaped lamp; the sound of "F?r Elise," the song that mother most wants to hear as she grows increasingly ill. After the mother dies, neither son nor father can bring himself to play, until one day when the two share a moment of grief--not through words, but through music. The lyrical narrative voice takes on an adult perspective looking back on childhood ("Sometimes I think the greatest distance to be traveled is that between two beating hearts"). This sophistication is echoed by Blondon's (The Well of the Wind) artwork, stylized pastels in warm tones of orange, brown and green with a distant, dreamlike feel. A carefully crafted, deeply felt book likely to be more appreciated by older readers than the typical picture book crowd. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-A gentle story about childhood loss and healing. Life is idyllic for the family in this book and music provides the joyous center of their home life. The father teaches his son to play the piano and an encouraging mother is always present in the background. When she becomes ill, she asks the boy to play her favorite song, "F?r Elise." After her death, a melancholy silence pervades the house. Time passes and one day the boy hears his father play "F?r Elise." The two then play the piece together, and the song unites them as they begin their healing: "It was our way of crying, the way it had once been our way of laughing." This story is unapologetically sentimental but rich in graceful metaphors and imagery. (Musical notes on a score "-looked like a thousand birds had landed in front of us.") Blondon's dreamy, stylized pastel illustrations on handsome oatmeal-hued paper are arresting yet affectingly appropriate to the tone. The luminous palette is suffused with warmth from soft rose to glowing gold. Though not as subtle in its details, this is reminiscent of Libba M. Gray's My Mama Had a Dancing Heart (Orchard, 1996) in the mood of tender reminiscence it evokes. An afterword provides a note about "F?r Elise." This picture book will be appreciated for its solemn but straightforward presentation of a father and son coming to terms with their grief.
Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789426153
• ISBN-13: 978-0789426154
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,334,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waiting to Sing, April 8, 2000

By 

Carol Wilson (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waiting to Sing (Hardcover)

I recently had the opportunity to read this book to my third grade class. They enjoyed the story so much that they asked me to read it to them a second time. One of my students commented that the book was "poetry put to music". The children said that they could feel the author's emotions as I was reading. They particularly enjoyed the descriptive language. Even though the topic was sad, the students enjoyed Mr. Kaplan's writing style. The book was a fine example of what they have learned this year in Writer's Workshop. It has been strongly suggested to them that their personal writing be based upon what they know best - themselves. Mr. Kaplan wrote a book about personal loss and death and addressed the topic in a meaningful and non threatening manner.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK SHOULD BE PUT TO MUSIC, April 4, 2000

By 

"parkhers" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waiting to Sing (Hardcover)

For parents looking for books written for children about death,I recommend this beautifully composed story. Children are exposed to death in a variety of ways and this is a book that can help waylay their fears, allow them to feel with the young boy and experience his healing. Howard Kaplan's words put the reader into the story with his lyrical prose and images. As a woman who faced the loss of her mother at a young age, I felt like Howard had captured the emptiness and the lost feelings I had at the time. Howard,as your sister who sat at that piano and played "Fur Elise" over and over again with that G Clef lamp over my head, I congratulate you on your ability to combine poetry and prose and create a beautiful book.