Magical book about abandoned musical instruments on a farm coming to life to enrapture a hardworking father and son.
The black watercolors (if that's what they are, I'm not an artist) show not only the dreariness of the farm but also the mystery of the instruments. ( )

The figurative language and personification in here is in a class all its own. Outstanding piece of writing. ( )

A beautifully written and drawn book, but perhaps a bit hard to categorize. The prose is a bit older than the intended audience can read; it is best meant for parents to read to or share with their children. A lovely book to keep in one's library for the ages. ( )

A hardworking farmer and his son succumb to the enchantment of some very special musical instruments that have been abandoned on their farm. They try them out one by one.

This is a very old book that I enjoyed as a child. When we got to the last page we really did listen in our minds what each of the instruments sounded like both individually and as a band playing a song. We talked about the book and story long after we brought it back to the library.

Years later as we are sitting at the table talking, the book came up again! So I found it. Now once again we are enjoying it together along with our children. I highly recommend this book. It is very believable and I think it also gives children a picture into another way of life. At this point it is Contemporary realistic Fiction soon to be Historical Fiction as that way of life passes away into years gone by for all eternity.

Extension activities include things such as exploring the history of different instruments and where they came from geographically, and then looking on the map to locate the places those instruments came from. Looking at how we use instruments today to bring us pleasure. ( )