January 1, 2023
Gr 1-4-Little Bird is so enraptured by the piano music she hears flowing down from the house on the hill into the valley that she builds her nest right in the window of the old man who plays it for himself and his wife, who hums along. To the couple's delight, Little Bird is soon singing along with the music, and then her babies are as well. When their grandson begins visiting, the old man teaches him all about music and introduces him to Little Bird. As time passes the old man begins to nap more and play less, until "one morning all was quiet." Up on the hill none of them feels like singing, playing the piano, or humming along, but in the valley below Little Bird hears many variations on the old man's music. Inspired, Little Bird plans a musical tribute for the man's family that proves "The old man wasn't gone after all-he lived on in their music." Using crisp, clean lines with ample detail and just the right amount of white space, the illustrations effectively depict the sheer joy of sharing, learning, and playing music, in addition to the loss and hope at the story's end. The use of flowing musical notes to indicate how the music spreads from person to bird to the valley below is especially successful. The family is light skinned, while their neighbors are depicted with a variety of skin tones. VERDICT A sweet musical journey from life to death that shows how music can soothe heartache and help memories live on. Not essential but lovely.-Catherine Callegari
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 20, 2023
The favorite tunes and kind spirit of a talented pianist live on after his death in this story about the ripple effect that one person’s life can have. Little Bird is so enthralled by the “beautiful, bountiful, breathtaking music” wafting into the valley from the high hill that she follows the notes to their source: an old man, portrayed with white hair and tan skin, playing a piano. Little Bird makes her nest at his window and sings along daily, interacting with the man and his family until “one morning, all was quiet.” Silence and sadness still hover over the hill when another bird from the valley appears, assuring Little Bird how far the old man’s music has already traveled, entertaining “all of us”—children with varying skin tones and a cast of sweet-faced animals, all singing the man’s songs. Musical notes float on the swirled lines that breezily flow through Kaulitzki’s bucolic scenes of a cozy domestic life, accompanying Silvestro’s comforting language and warm imagery. Ages 4–8.
Starred review from December 1, 2022
Musings on loss. An old man and his wife (both tan-skinned) spend their days playing piano and painting, respectively, in their little house high on a hill. The music travels to the valley below, attracting the eponymous Little Bird, who builds her nest outside the man's window and sings as he plays. The couple's visiting grandson (slightly lighter-skinned than they are) delights in Little Bird, and everyone is glad when her babies hatch. The grandfather cheers on everyone's creative efforts. His encouragement continues even as his strength wanes and the grandson takes over at the piano. A strikingly composed, somber aerial view of the grandmother and grandson embracing shows the piano sitting idly in the house, the birds still ("Then one morning, all was quiet"). It's clear that Grandpa has died. Grief silences the once-happy home until a cardinal (which some readers will regard as a sign of a deceased loved one) asks Little Bird about the music that used to play in the valley. Culminating scenes show the old man's legacy in action as people and birds alike gather to make music outside the house on the hill. The text has a folkloric quality, movingly grappling with grief, loss, and legacy, while warm illustrations that evoke Lauren Castillo's style create both idyllic scenes of enjoyment in art and music and moments of heartache. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A heartwarming tear-jerker--bravo, indeed. (Picture book. 3-8)
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