The Note Who Faced the Music

Nonstop wordplay and a familiar plot about fitting in bolster this educational music theory text. Though Composer, portrayed with light skin and black hair, is clear that all notes are “important to the musical staff,” Half Note doesn’t “feel whole.” Seeing itself as insignificant next to Whole Note, which can “fill a whole measure,” and “quick and upbeat” Eighth Note, Half Note hops a train for the “end of the line”—the coda. But when Composer tries to conduct a favorite song without Half Note, an “offbeat,” “awful” cacophony ensues, and only one note can save the day. Though tongue-in-cheek text doesn’t initially introduce the subject matter behind the puns, Bonilla’s predictable plot gives readers space to gain a rudimentary familiarity with note lengths and music terminology, making it well suited for classroom use alongside instruction. Bold, angularly rendered acrylic and colored pencil images from Hoffmann offer quirky anthropomorphized visualizations of each note. A glossary concludes. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)