Before Music: Where Instruments Come From

From cellos to chigufes, maracas to mbiras, musicophiles will find plenty to peruse in this reference picture book that explores instrument-making. In similarly formatted sections, Pimentel’s narrative connects a raw material (e.g., gourds) to musical instruments made from it (e.g., maracas and sitars), categorizing instruments by how they’re played, and offering an onomatopoeic description of instrument creation: “After the gourd dries in the sun, someone... fills it with seeds. Ptptptpt.” Sidebars throughout explain sound generation, highlight instrument innovators, and offer numerous captioned vignettes of instruments globally. Centering creators and musicians of varying age, skin tone, and traditional dress, Safer’s naïf-style multimedia art gives fitting nod to folk traditions featured in this wide-ranging survey of musical instruments that spans centuries, continents, and cultures. Back matter discusses instrument classification and includes instructions for making instruments. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)