Music in Literature Book List
2011-2012

The books chosen for the Music in Literature program all have a musical element and explore themes such as the importance of overcoming odds, friendship, ethnicity, values, or hard work. Each book comes with lesson plans designed by a team of local teachers, and remains at the school to become a part of the school library. This program serves students best if individual 45 minutes presentations contain no more than 50 students.

In order by grade level appropriateness:

TITLE/AUTHOR: The Bat Boy & His Violin by Gavin Curtis
GRADE LEVELS: 4-5
MUSICIAN: Dorothy Douthit, Violin
DESCRIPTION: This book offers readers many things: an interesting look at life in the Negro National Baseball League of the 1940s, a father-son relationship, and a gentle advocacy of the sometimes intangible value of culture. Reginald is serious about playing his violin but his father, who coaches "the worst team in the Negro National League," the Dukes, believes his son would use his time more wisely by serving as bat boy for the team.

 

TITLE/AUTHOR: If I Only Had a Horn, Young Louis Armstrong by Roxanne Orgill
GRADE LEVELS: 3-5
MUSICIAN: John Irish, Trumpet
DESCRIPTION: Orgill tells the story of a boy overcoming odds to achieve his dream... Young Louis's love of song and dance is well known in the streets of New Orleans, but his exuberance gets the best of him, and after shooting gun into the air, he finds himself in the Colored Waifs' Home. There, a Mr. Davis takes an interest; he makes the boy learn rhythm on a drum and practice "mellow tones" on an old bugle before giving him a cornet. As the story ends, Louis leads a band down Liberty Street and, marches into musical history.

TITLE/AUTHOR: Opera Cat by Tess Weaver
GRADE LEVELS: 3-4
MUSICIAN: Jennifer Odom, Soprano
DESCRIPTION: Madame SoSo is an opera star who practices every afternoon with the maestro. What the two don't realize is that behind the curtain, Madame's cat is singing along sotto voce. When the star develops laryngitis, her caroling cat comes to the rescue.

 

TITLE/AUTHOR: The Best Mariachi in the World by Dani Jones (bilingual book)
GRADE LEVELS: 2-4
MUSICIAN: Victor Andrade, Mariachi Alma Mexicana
DESCRIPTION: Everyone in Gustavo's family is in a mariachi band. Everyone except Gustavo, that is. They all play violins, trompetas and guitarrones; they all make wonderful music in restaurants and at wedding parties. Gustavo would love to join the band, but he can't play any of the instruments. What's a wannabe to do?

 

TITLE/AUTHOR: The Piano by William Miller
GRADE LEVELS: 2-5
MUSICIAN: Candis Hicks, Piano
DESCRIPTION: At the beginning of the 20th century, young Tia enjoys roaming free in her safe African-American section of a small Southern community. When she wanders into the white section of town, she is enchanted by a new and beautiful sound coming from a large mansion. Smitten by the music, Tia agrees to take the job and is awed by the shiny grand piano in the parlor. The two become fond of one another and Miss Hartwell agrees to teach the girl to play. This is a gentle story depicting a friendship that crosses age and racial barriers.

 

TITLE/AUTHOR: Jazz Cats by David Davis
GRADE LEVELS: 2-4
MUSICIAN: Tim Bonenfant, Clarinet and Saxophone
DESCRIPTION: A rhyming text describes a New Orleans jazz band of six cats. Verses spotlight members of the band and their instruments as the musicians play until dawn and then sleep on the benches of Jackson Square, waiting for the next night of music.

TITLE/AUTHOR: Song of Six Birds by Rene Deetlefs
GRADE LEVELS: 1-3
MUSICIAN: Connie Kelley, Flute
DESCRIPTION: Strolling through her African village, Lindiwe asks six birds--a crowned crane, hornbill, rainbird, hoopoe, Paradise flycatcher and wood owl--to "share" their sounds with her. When each obliges, its signature call enters her flute. As the birds follow her home, the child plays her flute and the birds "all made music while she ran."

 

TITLE/AUTHOR: Max Found Two Sticks by Brian Pinkney          
GRADE LEVELS: 1-3
MUSICIAN: TBA
DESCRIPTION: Max doesn't much feel like talking, so he lets his drumsticks (two twigs, actually) respond to questions and imitate the sounds of his city neighborhood. This is an effective depiction of the way in which self-expression takes on momentum, as Max's quiet introspection turns into an exuberant celebration of the world around him.

TITLE/AUTHOR: Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer
GRADE LEVELS: K-2
MUSICIAN: Candis Hicks
DESCRIPTION: There are going to be fireworks tonight, and Olivia can hardly wait to hear the band. But when she finds out that there isn't a band, she can't understand why not. How can there be fireworks without a band?! And so Olivia puts a band together herself... all by herself. Using pots, pans, her brother's toys, and even her father's suspenders, Olivia forms a band spectacular enough to startle any audience.

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  My Tata's Guitar/ La Guitarra de Mi Tata by Daniel Lechon
GRADE LEVELS: K-2
MUSICIAN: Jesse Ramirez, Guitar
DESCRIPTION: Readers will treasure this bilingual book about the transmission of musical heritage. When Tata opens the guitar case that once belonged to his tata, a wealth of musical memories entrance the boy as the sound of the guitar strings transform "musty moths into beautiful butterflies." Tata tells the boy about the posadas at Christmas, birthday melodies and even shares his memory of a special moonlight serenade. And with his grandfather's help, the boy will learn to create his own musical memories for generations to come.

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  Moses Goes To A Concert by Isaac Millman 
GRADE LEVELS: K-2
MUSICIAN: TBA
DESCRIPTION: A group of deaf children is taken to a concert where the youngsters meet the percussionist, a friend of their teacher, and learn to their surprise that she is also deaf. She explains to Moses and his class how she became a percussionist even though she had lost her hearing and helps them understand that anything is possible with hard work and determination.

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  Mole Music by David McPhail
GRADE LEVELS: K-1
MUSICIAN: Gretchen Goldman, Violin
DESCRIPTION: Mole finds that digging all day and spending his evenings alone leave him unfulfilled. Upon hearing a musician on TV, he decides to create his own beautiful music. After much patience and practice, he learns to play the violin more magnificently than the man who first inspired him. The story suggests that by doing something that brings pleasure to oneself, it is also possible to affect the lives of others in a meaningful way.

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  Rain Music by Melanie McAllister
GRADE LEVELS: K-1
MUSICIAN: Candis Hicks
DESCRIPTION: Have you ever stopped and listened to the rain? Do you hear the music it makes? Marcus didn't hear it until his mother showed him how to listen for it. Discover in Rain Music that bad weather doesn't always mean an end to the fun, but can mean the beginning of a new musical adventure. Author Melanie McAllister's melodious book will inspire children to listen to the beautiful sounds the next time a storm comes by.

 

BOOKS/PRESENTATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE