Skip to main content

If You Like... Music

You know that feeling you get when you are listening to your favorite song? It seems to calm you and energize you at the same time! Music has profound power. It can make you feel emotions, help you focus, promote physical well-being, and foster social connection. So, sing a song, dance to the beat, and pick up one of these books!

Written and illustrated by Nick Maland 
Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishing, 2024. Picture Book.

This is a heartwarming picture book that celebrates the unifying and uplifting power of music. The story follows a group of characters who come together to create music that fills the sky. As the melodies rise, so does a sense of joy and connection. We Light Up the Sky With Music reminds readers of all ages that creativity and community brightens our lives.

 
Written by Todd Boss 
Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh 
New York: Beach Lane Books, 2024. Picture Book. 

The Boy Who Said Wow is a touching book based on the true story of a young boy with nonverbal autism who expresses his awe during a live concert with a single word, “Wow.” The story captures the the power of a single moment to break through silence and connect people in unexpected ways. The book celebrates the profound impact of music, inclusivity, and the beauty of every child's voice—spoken or unspoken.


Written by Shane Goth 
Illustrated by Sara Gagnon-Dumont 
Berkeley, CA: Owlkids Books, 2025. Picture Book. 

This is a charming story that explores the beauty of imperfection through the eyes of a young pianist. Hannah, a dedicated and serious musician, is taken down an unexpected path when she embraces her own creativity. Inspired by her little sister's playful delight with her wrong note, she seeks to abandon her need for perfection. Through improvisation, Hannah discovers a newfound joy in music that is uniquely her own.  


Written by Jyoti Rajan Gopal 
Illustrated by Sonia Sanchez 
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2024. Picture Book.

This is a lyrical picture book that celebrates the unifying power of music within a diverse community. The story begins with a single musical note that prompts neighbors to join in from their windows and balconies. Each one adds their own unique sound—from traditional instruments to everyday household items, sharing a message of connection and the joy of shared experiences.


By Zachariah OHora 
Toronto: Tundra Books, 2024. Picture Book.

Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas is the inspiring true story of Paul Horn, a professional flutist, and Dr. Paul Spong, a scientist studying orcas in the 1970s. We follow how Horn and Spong used music to communicate with two captive orcas at Sealand of the Pacific on Vancouver Island. The book brings to light how their connection with the orcas contributed to the beginning of the anti-captivity movement for intelligent marine animals. This story is a tribute to the power of music and empathy.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Review: The Bletchley Riddle

  The Bletchley Riddle By Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2024. Fiction. 392 pages. It's spring of 1940, Hitler has swept through most of Europe, and people believe England will be next. Half Polish-Jewish, half American Jakob has been recruited from Cambridge to Bletchley Park where they are working on deciphering the enigma machine. Jakob's sister Lizzie, meanwhile, is being forced to move from London to Cleveland to live with her grandmother after her mother disappeared in a 1939 attack in Poland. Lizzie manages to escape the keeper her grandmother sent for her to bring her to America and makes her way to Bletchley, where she's eventually given the task of delivering messages between departments. When secret messages begin appearing with Lizzie's belongings, she must decipher them to find the truth about her mother's past and location, while keeping the secrets away from the MI5 agent that seems a little t...

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...