My Family, A Symphony

My Family, A Symphony
Author: Aaron Eske
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2010-12-07
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0230114520

Before Madonna and Angelina Jolie made international adoption fashionable, Aaron Eske grew up in rural Nebraska with four siblings his parents adopted from around the globe. Each one arrived with severe health issues: Meredith was born without toes and was never supposed to walk; Jamie weighed two pounds and had cerebral palsy; and Jordan had his first heart catheter when he was five. His sister Michelle had suffered abuse in India and experienced trauma as a teenager. As an adult, trying to make sense of how his global family came to be, Eske bought a round-the-world plane ticket and journeyed in search of his siblings' origins. He visited the orphanages where they had lived, met the people who had cared for them, and immersed himself in the the world of international adoption with visits to a slum school in India, the landmine-loaded North Korean border, and a tribal prom in an Ethiopian rainforest. The result is a harrowing, complex, and ultimately triumphant story of international adoption that highlights the issues surrounding this increasingly popular parenting option.

Welcome to the Symphony

Welcome to the Symphony
Author: Carolyn Sloan
Publisher: Workman Publishing
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2015-10-27
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0761176470

Using one of the most famous works in classical music—Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony—here is the perfect way to introduce a young child to the world of classical music. This charming and interactive picture book with its panel of 19 sound buttons is like a ticket to a concert hall, taking readers on a journey from the exciting first moment when the musicians begin tuning up to the end of the first movement (attention newcomers: don’t clap yet!). At each step of the way, readers learn the basics of classical music and the orchestra: What is a conductor? What is a symphony? Who was Beethoven? The different aspects of music: melody, harmony, tempo, theme. And the families of instruments—strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. But the best part is that every critical idea is illustrated in gorgeous sound. The sound panel allows readers to hear the different parts of the symphony and voices of the music—the famous beginning of the Fifth, what a clarinet sounds like, the difference between a violin and a viola, what a melody is, and what harmony is. Kids will want to match their voices to the A note that tunes the orchestra, dance to the rhythmic passages—and, of course, sing along to da-da-da-daah!

Jazz Baby

Jazz Baby
Author: Lisa Wheeler
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2007
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9780152025229

Baby and his family make some jazzy music.

The Nightingale's Sonata

The Nightingale's Sonata
Author: Thomas Wolf
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2019-06-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1643131621

*Winner of the Sophie Brody Medal* A moving and uplifting history set to music that reveals the rich life of one of the first internationally renowned female violinists. Spanning generations, from the shores of the Black Sea to the glittering concert halls of New York, The Nightingale's Sonata is a richly woven tapestry centered around violin virtuoso Lea Luboshutz. Like many poor Jews, music offered an escape from the predjudices that dominated society in the last years of the Russian Empire. But Lea’s dramatic rise as an artist was further accentuated by her scandalous relationship with the revolutionary Onissim Goldovsky. As the world around them descends in to chaos, between revolution and war, we follow Lea and her family from Russia to Europe and eventually, America. We cross paths with Pablo Casals, Isadora Duncan, Emile Zola and even Leo Tolstoy. The little girl from Odessa will eventually end up as one of the founding faculty of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, but along the way she will lose her true love, her father, and watch a son die young. The Iron Curtain would rise, but through it all, she plays on. Woven throughout this luminous odyssey is the story is Cesar Franck’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano.” As Lea was one of the first-ever internationally recognized female violinists, it is fitting that this pioneer was one of the strongest advocates for this young boundary-pushing composer and his masterwork.

Wild Symphony

Wild Symphony
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Dragonfly Books
Total Pages: 45
Release: 2023-09-19
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0593704231

#1 New York Times bestselling author Dan Brown makes his picture book debut with this mindful, humorous, musical, and uniquely entertaining book! The author will be donating all US royalties due to him to support music education for children worldwide, through the New Hampshire Charitable foundation. Travel through the trees and across the seas with Maestro Mouse and his musical friends! Young readers will meet a big blue whale and speedy cheetahs, tiny beetles and graceful swans. Each has a special secret to share. Along the way, you might spot the surprises Maestro Mouse has left for you- a hiding buzzy bee, jumbled letters that spell out clues, and even a coded message to solve! Children and adults can enjoy this timeless picture book as a traditional read-along, or can choose to listen to original musical compositions as they read--one for each animal--with a free interactive smartphone app, which uses augmented reality to play the appropriate song for each page when a phone's camera is held over it.

My First Orchestra Book

My First Orchestra Book
Author: Genevieve Helsby
Publisher: Alfred Music
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9781843797708

Tormod the troll comes down from a mountain in Norway to discover music that will help him find his way home.

Your Symphony of Selves

Your Symphony of Selves
Author: James Fadiman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 164411027X

Why you are a different you at different times and how that’s both normal and healthy • Reveals that each of us is made up of multiple selves, any of which can come to the forefront in different situations • Offers examples of healthy multiple selves from psychology, neuroscience, pop culture, literature, and ancient cultures and traditions • Explores how to harmonize our selves and learn to access whichever one is best for a given situation Offering groundbreaking insight into the dynamic nature of personality, James Fadiman and Jordan Gruber show that each of us is comprised of distinct, autonomous, and inherently valuable “selves.” They also show that honoring each of these selves is a key to improved ways of living, loving, and working. Explaining that it is normal to have multiple selves, the authors offer insights into why we all are inconsistent at times, allowing us to become more accepting of the different parts of who we and other people are. They explore, through extensive reviews, how the concept of healthy multiple selves has been supported in science, popular culture, spirituality, philosophy, art, literature, and ancient traditions and cite well-known people, including David Bowie and Beyoncé, who describe accessing another self at a pivotal point in their lives to resolve a pressing challenge. Instead of seeing the existence of many selves as a flaw or pathology, the authors reveal that the healthiest people, mentally and emotionally, are those that have naturally learned to appreciate and work in harmony with their own symphony of selves. They identify “the Single Self Assumption” as the prime reason why the benefits of having multiple selves has been ignored. This assumption holds that we each are or ought to be a single consistent self, yet we all recognize, in reality, that we are different in different situations. Offering a pragmatic approach, the authors show how you can prepare for situations by shifting to the appropriate self, rather than being “switched” or “triggered” into a sub-optimal part of who you are. They also show how recognizing your selves provides increased access to skills, talent, and creativity; enhanced energy; and improved healing and pain management. Appreciating your diverse selves will give you more empathy toward yourself and others. By harmonizing your symphony of selves, you can learn to be “in the right mind at the right time” more often.

My Family Plays Music (15th Anniversary Edition)

My Family Plays Music (15th Anniversary Edition)
Author: Judy Cox
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-11-20
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0823440397

A young girl tries out different genres and instruments in this exuberant celebration of music, winner of the Coretta Scott King New Talent Award--now available in a special anniversary edition. This is my family. We all love music, begins a young percussionist. When she plays with her father, a cellist, she taps the triangle. With her sister's marching band, she crashes cymbals together. At her aunt's jazz show, she taps a woodblock. Elbrite Brown's lively cut-paper illustrations, for which he was awarded the Coretta Scott King New Talent Award, depict this diverse, joyous family dancing, strumming, drumming and fiddling their way through a tour of major musical styles--everything from classical string quartets, to rock and roll, to the youngest niece banging on pots and pans. They love music--and most of all, they love to celebrate and play it together. Includes a glossary covering types of music and instruments mentioned.

Symphony for the City of the Dead

Symphony for the City of the Dead
Author: M.T. Anderson
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2017-02-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 0763691003

Originally published: Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2015.

Maybe Something Beautiful

Maybe Something Beautiful
Author: F. Isabel Campoy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2016-04-12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0544866630

In this exuberant picture book about transformation through art, Mira lives in a gray urban community until a muralist arrives and, along with his paints and brushes, brings color, joy, and hope to the neighborhood. What good can a splash of color do in a community of gray? As Mira and her neighbors discover, more than you might ever imagine! Based on the true story of the Urban Art Trail in San Diego, California, Maybe Something Beautiful reveals how art can inspire transformation—and how even the smallest artists can accomplish something big. Pick up a paintbrush and join the celebration! "Simply superb.” (Kirkus) Tomás Rivera Book Award * ALA Notable Children's Book * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of the Year * Huffington Post Best Picture Books of the Year * Kirkus Best of the Year * School Library Journal Top 10 LatinX of the Year