THE PLOT THUS FAR
ZIN! ZIN! ZIN! A VIOLIN (Written by Lloyd Moss, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman, music by Marvin Hamlisch) A lonesome trombone is joined by various instruments, one by one, to form a chamber group of ten.
MUSICAL MAX (Written by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey, narrated by Mary Beth Hurt) Max stops playing music when his neighbors complain about the noise. What will he do instead?
THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER (Illustrated by Peter Spier, sung by Aretha Franklin) Aretha Franklin lends her soulful voice to this moving rendition of our national anthem.
KEEPING HOUSE (Written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Wendy Smith) Songwriter Lizzie Firkin would rather sing and dance than do chores. What if people think she s lazy or sloppy?
PATRICK (Written and illustrated by Quentin Blake) When Patrick plays his violin, the most unusual things start to happen; fish can fly, cows can dance, and trees grow cakes!
APT. 3 (Written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, narrated by Charles Turner) Intrigued by the sounds of a harmonica, two brothers set off on a search to find the musician in an old tenement building.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
The latest box-set from Scholastic throws together three stories that help to show young kids how art, music and performance can shape their lives. Whether it’s the joy of discovery or the thrill of concert performance, there’s a lot of experience to be had in this wonderful world. However, the age range for this material ranges from age 3 to about 10, as the material jump around from heavy concepts such as stage fright to words that might go beyond a child’s grasp. Still, it’s a fun mix and one that’s worth enjoying via the voice talents of Zach Braff and Aretha Franklin.
Parents are all about infusing their children with a good jolt of “culture” while they’re young. “Culture” can mean a lot of different things too. It can refer to theater, art, or even a full appreciation of orchestral performances. Now the standard method of getting kids interested in orchestras can be summed up in four words: Peter and the Wolf. For some people though, Peter just doesn’t cut it. They want something a little more basic. An artful story, perhaps, that identifies different instruments in the orchestra in an amusing and educational manner.
The DVD comes with an interview, Spanish versions of the stories and read-along features. The A/V Quality is pretty sharp, as Scholastic tends to spread their features across multiple discs for these sets, so they can maintain strong bitrates for the transfers. I have to say that I loved hearing Patrick McDonnell talk about creating work for the kiddie set. There’s such a wide world of material and everyone is desperate to find new ways to craft stories for the younger set. Just fascinating all around. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to parents with elementary/preschool age children.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
