The Music of Life

January 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-Lenny is an artist who lives in Paris and one night he decides to compose a symphony. It's slow going, but inspiration strikes when his cat Pipo starts licking a bowl of milk and Lenny writes down the notes he hears: "Lick, Lick, Lick." Then, he adds the sounds of the dripping faucet: "Plic, Ploc, Pluc." Admittedly, Lenny realizes that what he hears might not be a symphony but "it feels like music!" He ventures outside and incorporates the sounds of bicycles, dogs barking, shop shutters being rolled up, joggers huffing, and so on. After writing it all down, Lenny realizes that he has a composed a symphony of life in all its glory. The lively and animated pen-and-watercolor cartoon artwork is the perfect complement to the upbeat text. VERDICT A fine choice for budding young artists and a nice reminder that the mundane can also be sublime. As an added bonus, the sheet music to this symphony is included.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI

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December 1, 2019
A composer hits all the wrong notes until he hears music from unexpected sources. Lenny lives with his cat, Pipo, in Paris. Uninspired while trying to write a symphony, he stares dejectedly at his empty page when...Pipo laps at his water bowl and--why not?--Lenny writes these sounds down. A dripping faucet and tweeting birds supply additional "notes." Then more present themselves: a bicycle bell, metal shutters against a shop's door, a barking dog. Lenny acknowledges these certainly feel musical, so they belong in his composition, too. A buzzing bee convinces Lenny to venture into the park, and oh, what musical magic emerges from the multitude of sounds on offer: "The symphony of life!" Lenny happily returns home, his formerly blank page now "full of ideas." His symphony is actually transcribed on a page of sheet music, and savvy readers who wish to do so may try playing it. The simple plot isn't original, but it is lively and stimulating, inviting listeners to join in. Youngsters will remain engaged and enjoy mimicking the onomatopoeic sounds for the assorted noisemakers throughout; these are rendered in italicized, larger type. The loose, cartoon illustrations are expressive and child appealing. Lenny is white; other characters are diverse. Music is all around. One need only listen. (Picture book. 3-6)

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November 4, 2019
In the middle of the night, Lenny the composer is stuck trying to write a symphony: “he’d been sitting at his desk for hours, and not a single note of music had come to mind.” As his frustration crescendos, inspiration arrives from an unlikely place: Pipo, his cat. The “Lick, Lick, Lick,” sound of Pipo lapping up milk triggers a flow of inspiration as Lenny begins to hear ideas for music in the world around him: “ ‘Oho! What is this?’ The leaking sink gave Lenny another idea. ‘It’s not a symphony, but it feels like music!’ ” Ambient sounds—the tinkle of a bicycle bell, the laughter of a baby—lead to creation. Drawing loose inspiration from the work of Leonard Bernstein, Thomas shows one way that composers find ideas, and loose, color-washed illustrations of Lenny’s Parisian world have something of the charm of Ludwig Bemelmans about them. A symphonic ode to the act of creation. Ages 3–6.