The Magic Maker

September 1, 2011

About a year before his death, Langstaff asked Cooper to help him write a book about how his childhood experiences with music led to his involvement in musical theater. Though the project never got off the ground, she decided to write it for him. Raised in a family who hosted annual Christmas carol parties, Langstaff was sent to a choir boarding school at the age of seven, where he quickly became a star soloist. After serving in World War II, he began a career as a well-known children's music teacher and authored several books of children's songs. Langstaff had a tremendous respect for the value of tradition and ritual in music, and in 1971 he and his daughter, Carol, created the first Christmas Revels, performances that combine traditional music, dance, and drama with audience participation. The well-researched narrative contains many quotes from primary sources such as Langstaff's letters and interviews with his family and associates (unfortunately, there are no source notes or index). Readers will finish this book feeling as though they have come to know the man who "was not so much a teacher as a missionary."-Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2011
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* This unusual book offers an affectionate portrait of John Langstaff (19202005), who shared his bountiful love of music with others though singing, dancing, teaching music to children, and creating the Revels, a joyous celebration that combines song, dance, and drama. Beginning as a straightforward biography, the book traces Langstaff's years as a choirboy, his experiences during WWII, his varied career, and his family life, before covering the Revels, beginning with its first performance in 1957. Cooper, who worked with Langstaff on the Revels for many years, portrays him as a visionary man. With a magnetic, larger-than-life personality, he drew talented people together to create beautiful, shared experiences for communities. Cooper's recreations of memorable Revels moments seem as magical as the man himself. Langstaff's life intersects with the children's book world at several points, and along with her personal accounts of working with him on the Revels and Children's Literature New England, she also explains how he came to write the Caldecott award-winning Frog Went A-Courtin' (1955). A vivid combination of biography and memoir.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)