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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Review: Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts

Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts
By Diane Stanley
Published 2009 by Collins

I really love non-fiction picture books. They are a wonderful way to introduce kids to a great variety of topics. Picture book biographies are no exception. I learned quite a bit from this one by Stanley. The writing was well-done, with footnotes to highlight words or concepts that would be foreign to children. While I liked that it was split up into three acts, I didn't find the whole notion of the "puppet play" very endearing. Actually, it was quite pointless. I think it was supposed to be an interesting and appealing way to illustrate the story, but it didn't really work for me. The puppet strings were the only part of the illustrations that made this effort obvious, and I found them mostly to be in the way. I'm not sure what sort of kid would be attracted to a biography of Mozart, but this was an enjoyable one. Stanley tried her best to make it clear how great his contributions to the world of music were, and I think she succeeded.

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