"Where does the music
take you?"
There is no text; there is plenty of story. A boy and a fish take readers on a journey of musical discovery. The fish is encouraged to come to the water's surface by the sound of the boy's violin. As he plays, the fish listens. The endless practicing takes a toll, and the boy falls into a dreamy sleep.
As he sleeps, the fish jumps from the water and leads him through the sky, over the town where they see musicians playing, people dancing, they jump from planet to planet ... all in a wondrous journey. The watercolor artwork draws attention from spread to spread as new color saturates each lovely part of the dream. The boy and the fish don't change as they move forward, while the landscapes they travel over do. Only as the dream comes to an end, do they travel back to their starting point. There, an old man steps forward to sit beside the abandoned violin and begin to play. The fish, entranced once again by the lure of the music, leaps from the water into the arms of the man, bringing their story to a close.
This quiet, peaceful book will be appreciated for its storytelling, despite the absence of words. This is a time when no words are needed. From soft blues and grays, through bright, colorful landscapes, and back to the reality of the waterfront bench, readers can appreciate the power that music has to transform. Here, it is the guide for a cheerful bit of wondrous travel.
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