(3) K-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. Celenza and Kitchel (Vivaldi's Four Seasons) again explain the genesis of a well-known classical piece, here Saint-Saëns's masterpiece, Danse Macabre. Celenza's text imagines some conversations but remains true to the known facts; Kitchel's watercolor illustrations employ a colorful, somewhat cartoony style. A CD is included, and an author's note provides additional information.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. Priest Antonio Vivaldi teaches music to orphans in eighteenth-century Venice. When the orphanage's governors send him away, he remains inspired by the girls and eventually dedicates his most famous works to them. The historical story is enchanting, but Kitchel's flat watercolors are less so. An author's note separates fact from speculation, and a CD recording of The Four Seasons accompanies the book.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. This account of the inspiration behind George Gershwin's famous concerto features imagined conversations with his musician pals and his brother Ira, some more finely tuned than others. Kitchel's watercolor and ink illustrations, which occasionally feature art deco borders, effectively display the Rhapsody's enthusiastic reception in New York's Aeolian Hall in 1924. A CD is included.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. This fictionalized account tells how young Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, upon the recommendation of Johann Sebastian Bach, became a working member of Russian Count Keyserlingk's court in Dresden, moving up to official harpsichordist after meeting various musical challenges, including introducing Bach's Goldberg Variations to his patron. Cartoonish illustrations, replete with putti, add color if not dignity to the text.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. This book bravely attempts to represent the medium of music in words and pictures. Celenza clearly tells of Beethoven's oncoming deafness, his admiration for and then disenchantment with Napoleon, and the different inspirations for the four movements of his Third Symphony. The art includes cartoonish people who appear in the foreground and a toile-style background featuring flowers and images of peasant life. A CD is included.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. As they did in The Farewell Symphony, this team explains the genesis of a well-known classical piece. Celenza's text imagines some conversations but remains true to the known facts, and Kitchel's watercolor illustrations use borders and heavy outlines in a colorful, somewhat cartoony style. A CD is included, and an author's note provides additional information.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by JoAnn E. Kitchel. Haydn's "Farewell" symphony, composed as a protest to his employer, directs the orchestra members to stop playing one by one and leave the stage. Celenza, a musician, convincingly represents what the main characters' emotions and musical motivations might have been. Large watercolors reminiscent of Tomie dePaola's flesh out the story. (The accompanying CD includes the "Farewell" as well as the "Hornsignal" symphonies.)

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson