FICTION

The Music of Life

by Louis Thomas
Farrar. Feb. 2020. 40p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780374303150.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2–Lenny is an artist who lives in Paris and one night he decides to compose a symphony. It’s slow going, but inspiration strikes when his cat Pipo starts licking a bowl of milk and Lenny writes down the notes he hears: “Lick, Lick, Lick.” Then, he adds the sounds of the dripping faucet: “Plic, Ploc, Pluc.” Admittedly, Lenny realizes that what he hears might not be a symphony but “it feels like music!” He ventures outside and incorporates the sounds of bicycles, dogs barking, shop shutters being rolled up, joggers huffing, and so on. After writing it all down, Lenny realizes that he has a composed a symphony of life in all its glory. The lively and animated pen-and-watercolor cartoon artwork is the perfect complement to the upbeat text.
VERDICT A fine choice for budding young artists and a nice reminder that the mundane can also be sublime. As an added bonus, the sheet music to this symphony is included.
Reviewed by Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI , Jan 01, 2020

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