(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dušan Petričić. Under the direction of a human conductor, a menagerie demonstrates seven musical terms such as allegro and dolce. Each term is introduced on a mostly white double-page spread featuring just the word and the (white, male) conductor gesturing appropriately. The following spread is composed (ha!) of minimal text ("Gently gliding, / slipping, sliding" for glissando) and a selection of animals (penguins, an alligator, otters, snakes, and more) wearing little bow ties and energetically displaying corresponding movement. Together, Heidbreder's euphonious text and Petričić's dynamic illustrations offer bravura performances on every page. A pronunciation guide/glossary is included at book's end.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elisa Paganelli. With musical support of Rachel Leach. In association with the London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Simon (the LSO's musical director, Sir Simon Rattle, who provides a foreword) needs to assemble an orchestra. As he auditions musicians, readers are introduced to the orchestra's different instrumental sections and the role each plays as part of the whole. An online component provides forty-three musical tracks aligned with the text for a more immersive experience--including the two pieces performed by Simon's orchestra on opening night. The lively illustrations support the upbeat text. Notes about each track, a glossary, and an index are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) K-3 Jazz pioneer and free-spirited iconoclast Sun Ra (he believed he came from Saturn) gets a portrait as bemusing as the man himself in this fantastical tribute. Raschka's trademark loose gestural style is effective in reflecting his subject's untethered spirit and impenetrable persona. The images themselves are dense and dynamic, full of brilliant color and heavy black. List of selected recordings appended.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(4) YA Modern Music Masters series. These biographies exemplify the diversity and genius of recent American music icons. Brown's compelling story is set in the context of 1960s civil rights struggles and the Vietnam War, while Bernstein's chronicles the development of his whole-body conducting style and rise to international fame amid equally illustrious influences. The books' design, which includes many black-and-white photos, is drab. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern Music Masters titles: Proud and Leonard Berstein and American Music.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tim Bowers. Stu loves the chorus of sounds he hears emanating nightly from the zoo. When a developer threatens to tear it down, Stu conducts an emergency plan to save it: a concert performed by the zoo's residents. Expressive paintings outshine the text, which is a vehicle for a stream of idioms that do little to enhance the story. An "understanding idioms" guide is appended.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 In this wordless book, a music conductor, from his perch atop a tall tree, awakens the leaves. They turn into birds and swirl across the pages, finally settling back as the conductor plants his baton like a seedling. The striking art invites readers to think about music, nature, and creativity, but the story has limited child appeal.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Leonard Bernstein, through a lot of perseverance and a little luck, made his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic at age twenty-five. Rubin's biography, focusing on the youth and early adulthood of its subject, succeeds with her engaging style and infectious passion. Numerous black-and-white photographs appear throughout. Biographical sketches and a discography are appended. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011