Monday, February 10, 2014

The Man With the Violin, by Kathy Stinson (illustrated by Dušan Petričić)

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Source: NetGalley



The Man with the Violin
Author: Kathy Stinson
Illustrator: Dušan Petričić
Postscript by Joshua Bell
Publisher: Annick Press
Publication Date: July 4, 2013

What a beautiful story about a real life event. Renowned American violinist Joshua Bell took to the subways of Washington, D.C., to give a free concert. Although hundreds of commuters rushed by him, none stopped to listen. Bell later noted that there were several children who strained to hear the music from his violin but were pulled along by busy parents intent on catching their trains. This book, illustrated by the incomparable Dušan Petričić (illustrator of the anniversary edition of Robert Munsch's Mud Puddle and--one of my favourites--Andrew Larsen's In the Tree House) perfectly captures both the story of that day and the music that inspired it. The drawings almost dance off the page.


I read this to my daughter Magda, who was a bit annoyed by the book because she knows all too well the frustration of being pulled away by busy parents when she's trying to enjoy something interesting. So I think it brought up old wounds for her. Alas.

RELATED POSTS:

In the Tree House
Mud Puddle
Drummer Boy of John John
In Lucia's Neighborhood
My Dog Thinks I'm a Genius
Rifka Takes a Bow
The Tremendous Pagoda Tree

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