Gerstein, M. (2002). What Charlie Heard. Illus. Mordicai Gerstein. New York, New York: Frances Foster Books.
Brief Annotation: Charlie’s father was a music teacher and brought the beauty of music into Charlie’s life. Everywhere Charlie went he heard music; therefore, he started writing music, specifically symphonies. He tried to have them published but no one liked his symphonies, they thought they were noise. However, when Charlie gets older, someone heard his music and played it. Soon many more orchestras were performing his symphonies. As a result, Charlie became the famous Charles Ives, the composer.
Genre: Non-fiction
Grade Level: K-3
Readers who will like this: Readers who are interested in reading a biography book or reading about how someone did not give up on his dreams, and he got to see them come true. Readers who want to know more about Charles Ives and how he became a composer will be interested in this book.
Response/Rating (1-4):*** I thought this was a great book for kids to read about a famous composer. It was kid-friendly and told the story in a fun, informational way through the use of illustrations and color. This book teaches students that what music might be to someone may not be the same to another person, and also to never give up on your dreams because someday someone will listen.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you know who Charles Ives is?
I just checked out of the library another book by Gerstein, the biography of Leonard Bernstein focusing mostly on his younger life and the early experiences that shaped him. It's tough to find music-themed books for kids, but I'm developing a list. I'll add this title to it based on your enthusiastic review.
ReplyDelete