Verdi for Kids: His Life and Music with 21 Activities

Gr 5–8—Verdi, considered by many to be one of the world's preeminent operatic composers, lived during a particularly turbulent time in Italy, which heavily influenced his music and his personal life. The focus here is primarily on his life as a composer, but because his work was so entwined with the political events of the time, quite a bit of historical context is also provided. The narrative is occasionally dense with descriptions of world events and political figures but is broken up nicely by lengthy sidebars and full spreads that offer some different avenues of information to explore. This could be an excellent resource for students doing research on Verdi, opera, or even the political upheaval in Italy at this time. Period photographs and related artwork are included throughout the text. Activities range from the artistic to the scientific, some with more kid-appeal than others. Ideas such as creating a simple water purifier or making a "stained glass" window could be fun for students, whereas others such as writing a letter to someone they admire or making a clay map of Italy, perhaps less so. There's not a lot out there for children about opera, and Verdi in particular, so this is a solid choice for libraries looking to beef up their music collections.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA