The Piano Recital

Wearing a red party dress and a grim expression, Momo waits to perform in her first piano recital. She’s nervous (“Momo’s heart is racing”), and she stands in the auditorium’s wings, talking to herself: “I’ll be okay.... I’ll be okay.” Suddenly she spots a “mouseling,” also clad in a frock, who invites Momo to hear its own recital. “Don’t worry, there’s still time until your turn!” Threading her way through a dark passageway, Momo emerges in a diminutive theater filled with mice and watches as performers put on a dazzling show of dance and song. Miyakoshi (The Way Home in the Night) draws fanciful spreads in dark, shadowy charcoal with jewel-toned accents. Beautifully realized, they will divert readers just as they divert Momo, who soon finds herself playing the piano and singing for the mouse performers. Just as suddenly, she’s back where she should be, on her own stage, performing with confidence. Many stories about children in stressful situations stay firmly in the real world. This story (and its natural-sounding uncredited translation from the Japanese) fulfills the wish of reluctant recital players (and some nonrecitalists as well) to find themselves in another world entirely. Ages 3–7. [em](Sept.) [/em]