"GLISSANDO
Gently gliding,
slipping, sliding."
As a person who loves music of all kinds, I have little understanding for musical terms or the making of music. So. opening this 'wild story' is exactly what I needed to read. I am sure music teachers will love it, as will their students. So much fun to learn new things every day ... and often by reading exceptional books.
Dusan Petricic's opening illustration is triumphant. He fills the entire spread with the conductor and score (baton aloft), facing his very diverse orchestral members with a confident smile. The assembled group looks on with a hint of hesitancy. Young readers will love naming each animal, and are sure to take note of their worried demeanor. The conductor has no such concerns and launches into the first musical term ... ALLEGRO.
The bow-tied animals move as quickly as possible in a scattered pattern across the spread: limbs leaping, legs racing, wings flapping speedily. On the following page, his baton slowly drops to ADAGIO. Those who know music will not be surprised to see sloths, turtles, starfish, koalas, snails, and seals making their way steadily across the page. And so it goes ... one musical term followed by the next.
The conductor's movements are shown in a perfect rhythm, and with a hint at what he is expecting his orchestra to do. The spreads that show the animals responding are motion-filled, delightful, with just-right, descriptive wording. When the baton slips from the conductor's hand on FORTISSIMO, the audience is in for a perfect denouement! Finally ... PIANISSIMO.
A pronunciation guide for these gorgeous Italian words is added, as well as definitions.
BRAVO! ENCORE!!
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