(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 Candida, one of the orphan girls comprising Antonio Vivaldi's "invisible orchestra," drafts the composer's sheet music and is "a bit of a daydreamer." When she accidentally records her imagination on the pages, it earns her attention--and it inspires Vivaldi's next masterpiece. Figures are inconsistently caricaturish, but the rich pastels are nevertheless attractive and a good match for the dreamy text.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 1-3 Stepping Stone series. Illustrated by Robert Papp. In eighteenth-century Italy, Anna Maria's dying father makes her a violin to remember him by. When Anna Maria goes to live with the nuns and the composer Vivaldi in a Venice orphanage, a jealous girl throws the precious violin into a canal. Shefelman's character and plot development are a touch simplistic but make the book more appropriate for the age group. Text includes a historical note. Glos.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) YA In eighteenth-century Venice, orphans Anetta, Rosalba, and Luisa are students of Antonio Vivaldi. Fretful, kind Anetta fixates on rules; impetuous Rosalba plots a romance; and Luisa exists at a remove, stirred by music alone. Collins expertly delineates the subtle psychological damages inflicted by such a cold, albeit lavish, existence--set against a well-researched evocation of a vibrant period of musical history.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Shefelman. This fictional account lyrically narrated in the composer's voice presents key moments in Antonio Vivaldi's life and musical career. Vivaldi's mother dedicates her young son to the priesthood. He fulfills this promise, but music eclipses his religious vocation. Terra cotta–toned ink-line and watercolors, which accent Vivaldi's red hair, effectively depict Venetian landmarks. Musical notation decorates the endpapers. Glos.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) YA Classical Composers series. Early education, family life, and musical styles are covered in these biographical surveys; Vivaldi contains more musical analysis, particularly of The Four Seasons. Both books suffer from awkward prose (not to mention too many parenthetical comments) and a lack of contextual information about the Baroque period, but together text and color images make for adequate biographies. Review covers these Classical Composers titles: Antonio Vivaldi and the Baroque Tradition and Johann Sebastian Bach and the Art of Baroque Music.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl