FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile
Narrator Thomas Quasthoff's voice has a musicality perfectly suited to this rich alphabet book with its own symphonic score. This is a poetic tribute to the orchestra—from the titular oboe, offering its musical “A” at each symphony’s beginning, to musical notation, the conductor, the instruments, and the audience. In concert with the authors' passages, Quasthoff's German-accented baritone moves through alliterative phrases, describing singing piccolos, mournful English horns, and trilling woodwinds. Each letter has its own music accompanying Quasthoff’s narration and as a stand-alone piece of representative music. There is simply no better way to experience this book than to hear it. An educational and emotive homage to the orchestra. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Praise for A is for Oboe
★ "With stunning poetry and vivid illustrations, this volume reimagines what an orchestra is, all while delivering a lesson on how to listen. There’s energy and movement in the pictures and poems, organized into riffs on each letter, from A to Z, in imitation of music . . . Putting aside the artistry, this book also serves as an introduction to musical concepts, including everything from tempo and rests to notation and phrasing. It’s sure to inspire young readers to make music and approach it in fresh ways." —Booklist, starred review
★ "Combining the talents of composer Auerbach and poet Nelson with the illustrations of Hoppe, this collection of poems is a lyrical and colorful introduction to the orchestra. . . . This fine overview of the orchestra is a great fit for all collections, especially school libraries, where music teachers could use this resource for instruction." —School Library Journal, starred review
School Library Journal
★ 01/28/2022
Gr 2–5—Combining the talents of composer Auerbach and poet Nelson with the illustrations of Hoppe, this collection of poems is a lyrical and colorful introduction to the orchestra. Starting as most concerts and rehearsals do, the oboe plays an opening A note, and what follows are brief, but musical, poems about the instruments, people, and vocabulary often associated with an orchestra. Readers get not only a cursory introduction to each section but also a sense of the role each instrument and person might play. In a tribute to the French horn, the instrument is noted for its "hoity-toity haughtiness, his highfalutin brassiness." At first, the assignment of gender might feel a bit clumsy, but the authors explain that for most musicians, musical instruments aren't things but rather beings they refer to as "he" or "she" and that some instruments could be considered "gender-bending." Hoppe's vibrant illustrations not only add to the meaning of each poem but also help share the message that the orchestra is for everyone. Careful representation showcases musicians of a variety of genders, ethnicities, and religions. Also represented is a variety of skill levels, reminding them that the orchestra isn't just for a small elite group of people. Although at times the vocabulary used might be a bit elevated for the target audience, a skillful librarian or teacher will be able to help readers navigate through these passages. VERDICT This fine overview of the orchestra is a great fit for all collections, especially school libraries, where music teachers could use this resource for instruction.—Louie Lauer
FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile
Narrator Thomas Quasthoff's voice has a musicality perfectly suited to this rich alphabet book with its own symphonic score. This is a poetic tribute to the orchestra—from the titular oboe, offering its musical “A” at each symphony’s beginning, to musical notation, the conductor, the instruments, and the audience. In concert with the authors' passages, Quasthoff's German-accented baritone moves through alliterative phrases, describing singing piccolos, mournful English horns, and trilling woodwinds. Each letter has its own music accompanying Quasthoff’s narration and as a stand-alone piece of representative music. There is simply no better way to experience this book than to hear it. An educational and emotive homage to the orchestra. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
