Tuba Lessons

PreSchool-Grade 1. Tuba tucked under his arm, a blond-haired boy sets off to his music lesson, with the words "Don't dillydally in the woods" ringing in his ears. However, when the lines of the road curve upward into a tree, the boy finds himself swinging on the branches and napping in the shade. Soon, a curious squirrel sounds a note from the instrument, bringing the forest animals to the scene, which, in turn, attracts a seemingly raucous bear. He, too, is quickly charmed by the boy's music making and when a large bounding note nearly carries the boy away, it's the bear who swiftly saves him. In the penultimate double-page spread, the tuba-playing boy, now happily astride the bear's back and accompanied by the gleeful animals, arrives safely?but tardy?to his lesson. On this final page, he is greeted with the book's only other words, "Young man, you're late." This nearly wordless story celebrates the joy of music, and children will be caught up in the mirth. Mostly, though, they will be captivated by Felix's imaginative use of line?with the road that becomes a tree, that becomes a road, that breaks into fractured lines with the bear's appearance, that swirls up into a curve resembling the shape of a tuba, and finally back into a road?and by her playful deployment of jumbo black notes that bounce about the pages. The colorful texture gives added dimension to the characters.?Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Music soothes the savage beast in this near-wordless picture book about a boy on his way to a tuba lesson. The tuba is about as big as the boy, who's warned not to ``dillydally'' in the woods, or he'll be late. He trots along a road of five lines, which looks suspiciously like a music staff; one line curves up to become a tree, which he first climbs and then naps under. A squirrel in the tree creates a giant musical note by fooling with the tuba; a host of critters poke their noses out of hiding places in the lines of the road. Soon there's a rollicking concert in the woods, interrupted by a ticked-off bear, who eventually succumbs to the music. There's a genial conspiracy between readers and the book's characters in the delight of dawdling, and a variety of events cleverly pace the book. Felix's illustrations are drawn on oatmeal-colored paper, which shows through the lines and smudges of pastel. Whimsical animals and ingenious compositions provide more fun, but this is serious art: Felix plays maestro to Bartlett's utterly childlike notions. (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.