Summer Reading Program Booklist

Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library175 North Beacon StreetWatertown, MA 02472617-972-7242

www.perkins.org/perkidsRachel.Gould@Perkins.orgAIM: BTBLRachel

Catch the Beat Books! Here is a list of books about music to get you started! Contact the Library to order these rhythmic books, or any other books!

RC and RCM = Recorded Cassette BR and BRM = Braille JL = Large Print

For Grades Preschool - 2 Playtime Rhymes for Little People by Clare Beaton. RC 54637 Collection of counting rhymes and well-loved childhood verses. Directions for motions accompany each selection. Includes "Here Are the Lady's Knives and Forks"; "Incy Wincy Spider"; "One Potato, Two Potato"; "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe"; and "I'm a Little Teapot." For preschool-grade 2. Berlioz the Bear by Jan Brett. RC 36455 Berlioz is worried. He plays the bass in the orchestra, and has been practicing for the village's gala ball. Now there's a buzz coming from his bass. Berlioz is so worried that he fails to see a hole in the road until his wagon wheel becomes stuck. The mule won't budge. But just in time, the buzz in Berlioz's bass saves the day. For preschool-grade 2. Mama Goose: a Latino Nursery Treasury/Un Tesoro de Rimas Infantiles by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. RC 60627 A sampler of traditional Spanish lullabies, finger plays, nursery and jump-rope rhymes, riddles, and songs. Includes an introduction in English and the poems in Spanish and English. For preschool-grade 2. Baby's Good Morning Book by Kay Chorao. BR 7121 Print/Braille. A collection of poetry, rhymes, and songs about waking up, morning activities, beginnings, and nature. Includes "Will There Really Be a Morning?" by Emily Dickinson, "Twinkletoes" by A.A. Milne, and a variety of other English and American poems. For preschool-grade 2.

My Father by Judy Collins. BR 8938 Print/Braille. The youngest daughter of a miner's family moves to Paris and fulfills her father's dream of living in a world of music, dance, and travel abroad. She now tells her children of a miner's life and a father's dream. For preschool-grade 2 to share with older readers. Honk! by Pamela Duncan Edwards. RCM 818 Honk is a swan who loves ballet. When she manages to join the other dancers in a performance of Swan Lake, she wins acclaim. For preschool-grade 1. Olivia by Ian Falconer. BR 13074 Print/Braille. Olivia, a preschooler pig, lives with her mother, father, and younger brother Ian (who is always copying her). Olivia is good at lots of things--dressing up, singing songs, building sand castles, dancing, and painting on walls. And she is very good at wearing people out. For preschool-grade 2. Pet of the Met by Lydia Freeman. RC 41090 Maestro Petrini is a white mouse who lives with his family in the attic of the Metropolitan Opera House. He works as a page turner for the prompter. Down in the basement is Mefisto, a cat who hates music and mice! During a perfomance of the "Magic Flute," Maestro Petrini and Mefisto end up on the stage together, putting the mouse in great danger. For preschool-grade 2. Africa Dream by Eloise Greenfield. RC 41928 A young child tells the story of a dream. She goes all the way to Africa and visits the marketplace, sings a song with new-old friends, rides a donkey, dances to her uncle's drums, and is rocked back to sleep by her long-ago grandma with Mama's face. For preschool-grade 2. Georgia Music by Helen V Griffith. RC 25639 First book in the "Grandaddy" series. A little girl and her grandfather love to share the music they play on the mouth organ and the nature sounds of Georgia. Granddaddy becomes so ill that the family brings him back to Baltimore. He is very sad until the girl finds a way to recreate the sounds of Georgia. For preschool-grade 2.

Grandpa's Song by Tony Johnston. RC 43610 Grandpa is big and happy and loves to sing in a very loud voice. He makes up the best song in the world, which is about him singing. When Grandpa begins to forget things, his grandchildren help him remember his songs. For preschool-grade 2. Talking Like the Rain: A Read-to-Me Book of Poems by XJ Kennedy. RC 38078 More than 100 poems selected especially for the very young child. Divided into sections such as "Play," "Birds, Bugs, and Beasts," and "Rhymes and Songs," the collection includes poems by Langston Hughes, Robert Louis Stevenson, Myra Cohn Livingston, Ogden Nash, Jack Prelutsky, and many, many others. For preschol-grade 2 and older readers. The Wheels On the Bus by Maryann Kovalski. RCM 480 An adaptation of the traditional, silly, fun song, "The Wheels on the Bus." For preschool-grade 2. Not the Piano, Mrs Medley! by Evan Levine. BR 8958 It seems as if Mrs. Medley -- and Word, her dog, and Max, her grandson -- will never get to the beach that's down the street from her new house. First they go back to get rain gear. Then, she insists they need toys, so they return for toys and a table and chairs. As they near the beach once more, Mrs. Medley wants music, so they go home again. For preschool-grade 2. Train Leaves the Station by Eve Merriam. BRM 1018 Print/Braille. Playful verse with a strong rhythm introduces the reader to the numbers one through ten. For preschool-grade 2. The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes by Maude Petersham. RC 21585 Caldecott Medal. A classic collection of nursery rhymes, finger games, counting songs, skipping-rope rhymes, and other jingles loved by generations of American children. For preschool-grade 2.

Farmer in the Dell: A Singing Game by Mary Maki Rae. BR 7933 Print/Braille. This traditional singing game originated in the Middle Ages, and was brought to America in 1883 by West German immigrants. Includes music and instructions for playing the ring game. For preschool-grade 2. Dr Seuss's ABC by Dr Seuss. RC 57740, BR 16723 Print/Braille. Rhymes for each letter in the alphabet using rhythm and repetition as learning tools. "BIG C / little c / What begins with C? / Camel on the ceiling / C....c....C." Uncontracted braille. For preschool-grade 2. All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir retold by Bill Staines. RC 35449 ... Some sing low, some sing higher, / some sing out loud on the telephone wire .... Thus continues this lively adaptation of a well-loved folk song. For preschool-grade 2 and older readers.

For Grades Kindergarten – 3 Sing to the Stars by Mary Brigid Barrett. RC 41236 Mr. Washington tries to convince his young neighbor Ephram to play his violin at the park concert by telling him "music speaks best when someone listens." When Ephram's grandmother explains that Mr. Washington used to play the piano before he became blind, Ephram decides to convince him to play too. For grades K-3. Hurricane Music by Barbara Bottner. RC 42616 One day Aunt Margaret finds a clarinet in the basement. At first she practices in a closet, but Aunt Margaret wants to hear the sounds of life so she takes her clarinet to the park, a train station, and even a parade. Then Hurricane Gladys comes to town and blows the clarinet away. For grades K-3. Willie Jerome by Alice Faye Duncan. RC 44362 Willie Jerome plays his trumpet up on the tenement rooftop all day long. His sister Judy loves to listen to his "sizzlin' red hot bebop," and can't understand why the rest of her family and neighbors thinks he's just making loud noise. For grades K-3. My Mama Had a Dancing Heart by Libba Moore Gray. RC 43268 A ballet dancer remembers her mother's love of dancing. They would go outside and dance whenever it was a "tip-tapping song-singing finger-snapping kind of a day." For grades K-3. Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora. RC 50752 Ben enjoys listening to the music from his neighborhood jazz club and plays along on his imaginary trumpet. One day the club's trumpeter notices Ben and sees his dream. For grades K-3. Apt. 3 by Ezra Jack Keats. RC 26067, BR 1740 Print/Braille. One rainy day, Sam and Ben listen at all the apartment doors in their tenement, trying to discover who is making the haunting harmonica music they hear. For grades K-3.

The Troll Music by Anita Lobel. BR 5463 Print/Braille. A nasty troll casts a spell on the best musicians in all the land so that their beautiful instruments will play only ugly animal sounds. For grades K-3. Musicians of the Sun by Gerald McDermott. BR 11040 Print/Braille. The Aztec Lord of the Night sees that his people are sad in the gray darkness. He sends Wind to battle Sun for the musicians held prisoner: Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green, because they can bring color, music, and happiness to the people. For grades K-3. Gus and Grandpa and the Piano Lesson by Claudia Mills. RC 59242 Gus would rather play outside than practice his music, so his performance at the piano recital does not go well. Then his grandfather shows him that music can be fun. Beginning chapter book. For grades K-3. Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss. BR 11001 Print/Braille. Musical instruments take their place, one by one, on the stage until there is a chamber group of ten. For grades K-3. Beethoven Lives Upstairs by Barbara Nichol. RC 39533 Christoph writes his uncle a letter that a madman named Ludwig van Beethoven has become a boarder. His widowed mother has rented the upstairs office that was his father's to the eccentric, deaf composer. The letters between Christoph and his uncle show how the boy's feelings change from anger and embarrassment to admiration. For grades K-3 and older readers. Mrs Merriwether's Musical Cat by Carol Purdy. RC 41177 Mrs. Merriwether is an ordinary woman living in an ordinary house in an ordinary town, on an ordinary street called Peach Tree Lane. Every Tuesday she gives music lessons to children on Peach Tree Lane, and every Tuesday Mr. Crump calls to complain about the music. Then one day a white cat arrives, and Peach Tree Lane is no longer an ordinary street. For grades K-3.

Willie was Different by Norman Rockwell. RCM 563 Many of Rockwell's friends agree that his story of a wood thrush named Willie is an autobiographical sketch. Attracted by the music of Miss Polly's flute playing, Willie begins to sing along, and discovers that he is a composer. Fame follows, and a trip to Washington. But he dislikes the attention, and returns to his own woods and to happiness. For grades 1-3 and older readers. The Case of the Puzzling Possum by Cynthia Rylant. BR 15134 Mr. Riley, a possum who owns a music store, calls animal detectives Bunny and Jack about a trombone that keeps disappearing and reappearing in the shop's window. Bunny uses her brains and Jack spies clues to solve the case. Beginning chapter book. For grades K-3. Ragtime Tumpie by Alan Schroeder. BR 8922 Print/Braille. Tumpie, a poor african-American girl living in St. Louis in 1915, loves to listen and dance to the ragtime music that is everywhere. In this fictionalized account of the childhood of Josephine Baker, she realizes her dream of becoming a dancer. For grades K-3 to share with older readers. A Symphony of Whales by Steve Schuch. RC 50035, BR 13006 Print/Braille. Young Glashka's sled dogs lead her to thousands of Beluga whales trapped by the ice freezing over a great bay. An icebreaker clears a path for the whales, but they don't leave until Glashka's dream about music provides a solution for their rescue. For grades K-3. Some From the Moon, Some From the Sun: Poems and Songs for Everyone by Margot Zemach. BR 14017 Print/Braille. Collection of traditional nursery rhymes and songs. Includes "This Little Pig Went to Market," "Star Light, Star Bright," and "Bingo." Contains a biographical sketch of Margot Zemach (1931-1989) in tribute to her. For grades K-3. Rhyme Me a Riddle, Sing Me a Song: Traditional Rhymes & Songs. JL 25 A collection of familiar nursery rhymes and children's songs. For grades K-3.

For Grades 2-4 From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs by Amy L Cohn. RC 41026 Collection of more than 140 tales, poems, songs, and stories that provide a history of the United States. Topics include the creation, immigrants coming to America, the Revolutionary War, westward expansion, slavery, animals, sports, and ghost stories. For grades 2-4 and older readers. Dance with Me by Barbara Juster Esbensen. RC 43151 National Council of Teachers of English Award. Poems that celebrate the dance-like aspects of the wind, gardening, babies, lightning, basketball, and more. "A soft plunk! / a slam dunk / and light / as a thistle / you land." For grades 2-4. Diane Goode's Book of Silly Stories and Songs by Diane Goode. RC 38126 An eclectic collection of silly folktales from the world over, with five nonsensical songs interspersed for a dash of vim and verve. The author's intention is to "make you laugh all the way through...," and her selections include "The Husband Who Was to Mind the House," "Talk," "On Top of Spaghetti," and "The Magic Pot." For grades 2-4 and older readers. The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems by Donald Hall. RC 50546 An anthology of American poems for children, arranged chronologically, from Native American cradle songs to colonial alphabet rhymes to contemporary pieces. The writers include Emily Dickinson, Carl Sandburg, T.S. Eliot, Ogden Nash, Langston Hughes, Dr. Seuss, Gwendolyn Brooks, Shel Silverstein, and Sandra Cisneros. For grades 2-4 and older readers. Silent NIght: The Song and Its Story by Margaret Hodges. RC 48197 Describes how the well-known Christmas carol was created and how it travelled around the world. First performed in Oberndorf, Austria, in 1818, the song quickly spread from town to town, but its creators were forgotten. Thanks to a monk in Salzburg, the original authors are now remembered. For grades 2-4 and older readers.

Tchaikovsky Discovers America by Esther Kalman. RC 43617 Jenny Petroff, who shares her birthday with Tchaikovsky, turns eleven on May 7, 1891. One of her presents is to attend a concert conducted by Tchaikovsky at the new Music Hall in New York City. Another is money from an uncle in Chicago. Jenny uses the money to buy a diary in which she records memories of her time with Tchaikovsky during his visit to America. For grades 2-4. A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith. BR 12987 Mary the mouse gives her very small son an important-sounding name she finds on sheet music outside her hole: Wolfgang Amadeus. As tiny Wolf listens to old Mrs. Honeybee play her piano, he realizes he can sing! Entranced, Mrs. Honeybee encourages him, and they become friends. For grades 2-4. The Story of the Incredible Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak. BR 13065 Print/Braille. Traces the history of the orchestra, the development of musical instruments, and the growth of musical styles from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Introduces famous composers and the instruments they feature. For grades 2-4. Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis. RC 9584, BR 4236 Biography of the world-famous blind musician who has played to win against overwhelming odds. For grades 2-5. America, I Hear You: George Gershwin by Barbara Mitchell. RC 27710 George Gershwin grew up in New York City, where he came to love the jazz music of Harlem and the classical music taught by his piano teachers. When he was fifteen he quit school and went to work as a "plugger" for a music publisher. For grades 2-4. Raggin': A Story about Scott Joplin by Barbara Mitchell. RC 28056 Born in Texarkana, Texas, just three years after the Civil War, Scott Joplin and his family loved music. At the age of twenty, Joplin left home to make his living as a musician, an extremely difficult task for a black man at that time. For grades 2-4.

Theodore's Rival by Edward Ormondroyd. BR 7712 Theodore is Lucy's beloved old teddy bear. When Lucy has a birthday party and her uncle Benjamin sends her a brand new bear that plays music, Theodore is overcome with jealousy. Easy reading for grades 2-4. Talking Drums of Africa by Christin Price. RC 8570 Rhythmic prose and poetry describe the history of talking drums as well as the rituals in which they are used and the stories they tell. For grades 2-5 . When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan. RC 56453, BR 15013 A short biography of the internationally acclaimed singer Marian Anderson (1897-1993). The story, weaving in musical lyrics, recounts her journey from the church choir through appearances in the great music houses. An afterword discusses how Anderson's talent and noble spirit helped America overcome racism. For grades 2-4 and older readers. In the Time of the Drums by Kim L Siegelson. BR 13010 Print/Braille. Coretta Scott King Award. Mentu, an American-born slave boy from the Georgia Sea Islands, learns African traditions from his grandmother Twi. But one day, drums announce the arrival of a boat loaded with unhappy Ibo slaves, and African-born Twi leaves Mentu to lead the Ibo out of captivity. For grades 2-4. Crystal: The Story of a Real Baby Whale by Karen C Smyth. RCM 486 There really is a whale named Crystal, who lives in the North Atlantic. The author describes his birth, his whale "family," and his travels from Caribbean waters to summer feeding grounds off the New England coast. He learns the humpback songs, and discovers human hazards. Humpback whale anatomy and behavior are included. For grades 2-4 and older readers. Sebastian: A Book About Bach by Jeanette Winter. BR 12044 Print/Braille. A biography of the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Describes how he overcame a difficult childhood through his encompassing love of music: from playing instruments to singing to creating new music. For grades 2-4.

For Grades 3-6 Free to Be a Family by Marlo Thomas. RC 26970 Bestseller. A collection of stories, poems, and songs about different types of families and family relationships. Includes works by Shel Silverstein, Judith Viorst, Carly Simon, John Steptoe, Kermit the Frog, and a host of others. For grades 3-6 and older readers. Play Me a Story: Nine Tales about Musical Instruments by Naomi Adler. RC 47375 A collection of nine folktales. Each features a musical instrument typical of the country where the story is told: a harp from Ireland, a drum from South Africa, and a balalaika from Russia. For grades 3-6. On with the Show! Featuring Brenda Dubrowski by Barbara Aiello. RC 35178 Lisa, a fifth-grader having trouble coming to terms with her parents' divorce, directs her music class's review, "The Good Old Days." Includes a section of questions and answers about divorce. For grades 3-6. Her Piano Sang: A Story about Clara Schumann by Barbara Allman. RC 46919, BR 11770 Allman details the life of Clara Wieck Schumann, who in 1828 gave her first full-length concert at the age of nine. The author portrays the pianist's early relationship with Robert Schumann, her father's disapproval of their marriage, and her love for her husband that lasted even after his death in 1856. For grades 3-6. Cassie Loves Beethoven by Alan Arkin. RC 53601 Hallie and David Kennedy are disappointed when their new cow, Cassie, doesn't give any milk. Their discovery that Cassie loves listening to Beethoven's music on the radio changes everything. Not only can she talk, she wants to play music herself. For grades 3-6. Leonard Bernstein by Molly Cone. BR 1663 For years, Lenny Bernstein's practical father firmly opposed his son's interest in music. But from the day his aunt's secondhand piano arrived in their home, 10-year-old Lenny knew that music was already a part of his life. For grades 3-6.

The Case of the Desperate Drummer by EW Hildick. RC 40343 McGurk and members of his detective organization know that to be an effective agency, they must be able to provide protection for their clients and witnesses. Each member has made a dummy to use in their training program. But will their practicing prove helpful when they try to protect a world-famous drummer? For grades 3-6. Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull. RC 37607 Lively portraits of twenty well-known composers and musicians, filled with anecdotes and amusing facts. Included are Bach, Verdi, Clara Schumann, Foster, Joplin, Gershwin, and Guthrie. For grades 3-6 and older readers. The Book of Rock Stars: Twenty-four Musical Icons that Shine Through History by Kathleen Krull. RC 57423 Two dozen minibiographies of rock music legends. Includes the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Kurt Cobain, among others. For grades 3-6. The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World by Julius Lester. BR 13890 Capsule biographies of ten great blues singers: Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Mahalia Jackson, Muddy Waters, Billie Holiday, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Little Richard, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. Includes personal anecdotes and reflections that link the singers to the larger musical tradition. For grades 3-6 and older readers. Take Sky; More Rhymes of the Never Was and Always Is by David Thompson Watson McCord. BR 440 Forty-eight poems with a variety of ideas, rhythm, and humor. For grades 3-6. Song of the Empty Bottles by Osmond Molarsky. BR 963 A young boy finds collecting bottles a slow way to earn money for the guitar he wants, but his search pays off when it inspires a song. Includes words and music to "The Empty Bottle Song." For grades 3-6.

Say it with Music: A Story about Irving Berlin by Tom Streissguth. RC 44987 The story of Israel Baline, who at the age of five, in 1893, came to America with his family and began his music career singing as he sold newspapers in the streets of New York's Lower East Side. Baline, who would change his name to Irving Berlin, became one of the country's best-loved songwriters. His music includes "God Bless America" and "White Christmas." For grades 3-6. The Ballad of the Pirate Queens by Jane Yolen. RC 42175 A ballad based on the true story of two female pirates, Anne Bonney and Mary Reade. When the governor's men attack Captain Calico Jack Rackham's pirate sloop "Vanity," the ten male pirates refuse to come on deck to help Anne and Mary fight. They are all arrested, but the two women have the last laugh. For grades 3-5.

Grades 4-7 Which Musical Instrument Shall I Play? by James Lincoln Collier. BR 1662 Introduces the major families of instruments and weighs the advantages and disadvantages of learning to play each instrument. Includes material on jazz and rock groups and on several instruments not usually found in the symphony orchestra, such as guitars, sitars, and recorders. For grades 4-7. The Bamboo Flute by Garry Disher. RC 37860 Australia, 1932. Young Paul is buried in the realities of hard work, poverty, and the fear of losing the family farm. He dreams of the music of long ago when his father whistled and his mother played their now repossessed piano. One day Paul meets Eric the Red, a homeless drifter and the older man helps Paul to make an instrument of his own. For grades 4-7 and older readers. Rap by Keith Elliot Greenberg. RC 33450 Rap music -- where a vocalist tells a story in rhyme, accompanied by a rhythmic background -- boasts, lectures, and wisecracks. Once popular only among African-Americans in East Coast cities, it is popular nationwide now. The author includes a rap dictionary. For grades 4-7 and older readers. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Musician by Carol Greene. RC 30893 Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756, the seventh child of his parents. Only he and his sister, Maria Anna, lived past infancy. They both were gifted musicians. When Wolfgang was only six, his father took him and his sister to play for Maximilian Joseph III. For grades 4-8. The First Book of Jazz by Langston Hughes. RC 12523, BR 3055 History of jazz examines its background and development from African drum beats and work songs to the blues, swing, and bebop. For grades 4-7. The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera by Shahrukh Husain. RC 49837 Presents the stories of seven operas retold for children: The Little Sweep, The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, The Flying Dutchman, La Cenerentola, Orpheus and Eurydice, and Christmas Eve. Each entry is prefaced with background remarks. For grades 4-7.

Aida by Leontyne Price. RC 33189, BR 8936 Coretta Scott King award. African-American opera diva Leontyne Price, of world reknown for her portrayal of Verdi's Aida, retells the story of that opera. A beautiful Ethiopian princess is enslaved in Egypt where she falls in love with an Egyptian. Tragedy follows. For grades 4-7 and older readers. The Otis Redding Story by Jane Schiesel. RC 7919 A biography of the Georgia preacher's son who made it big as a singer only after his death in a plane crash at 26. For grades 4-9. Science Experiments with Sound and Music by Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone. RC 62257 Simple, safe experiments -- using mostly everyday materials found at home -- that explain where sound comes from, how it works, and how it affects people. Covers vibration, the Doppler effect, decibels, and musical scales among other topics. For grades 4-7. Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera by Anne Siberell. BR 14301 An overview of opera introducing all the people involved in a stage performance. Provides answers to basic questions about this art form from its history to production details. Includes brief plots of twenty-seven popular operas. For grades 4-7 and older readers. Ray Charles: Soul Man by Ruth Turk. RC 45389, BR 12071 Biography of the black musician who was blinded by glaucoma as a child. Charles left school at an early age to pursue his musical career. He traveled from his home in Florida to form different bands and became a popular performer of international renown. Covers periods of Charles's life from childhood to age sixty-three. For grades 4-7. A Rainbow for Robin by Marguerite Vance. BR 1968 Twelve-year-old Robin, who is blind, is a very talented pianist. When she won honorable mention in a symphony contest two years ago, she was quite satisfied; this year, however, she is determined to win the contest. For grades 4-6.

Grades 5-8 The Story of Folk Music by Melvin Berger. RC 15241 Examines the origins and evolution of American folk music including current trends, some famous performers, and tips for performing and writing one's own songs. For grades 5-8 and older interested readers. Mariah Carey by Melanie Cole. RC 48662 Describes singer Mariah Carey's life and how she overcame prejudice to become a popular entertainer. Mariah's mother, an opera singer, encouraged her daughter's musical talent and realized that, even as a toddler, Mariah had perfect pitch. For grades 5-8. Whitney Houston by Ted Cox. RC 48655 Biography of the pop singer Whitney Houston. Describes her childhood growing up in New Jersey influenced by her cousin Dionne Warwick and her mother, Cissy, who was involved in church and gospel music. Traces her rise to fame and her tumultuous marriage to hip-hop star Bobby Brown. For grades 5-8. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech. RC 62114 Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life in a series of free-verse poems covering her two passions -- drawing and running. During the year, her mother gives birth, her grandfather becomes forgetful, and her best friend and running partner, thirteen-year-old Max, becomes distant. For grades 5-8. Science and Technology: American Indian Contributions to the World by Emory Dean Keoke and Kay Marie Porter. BR 16453 Explains that American Indian knowledge of natural processes led to inventing tools and ways to adapt the environment to their needs. Inventions included spear points, tobacco pipes, musical instruments, copper smithery, rubber, the base-twenty math system, and calendars. For grades 5-8 and older readers. Savion! My Life in Tap by Savion Glover. RC 50598 Co-author, Bruce Weber. Portrait of the young tap dancer born in 1973 who speaks with his feet and who choreographed the Tony Award-winning Broadway show "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk." Discusses his love of

rhythm and some of the great tap dancers with whom he's worked. For grades 5-8. The Music Thief by Peni R Griffin. JL 323 Living in San Antonio, Texas, eleven-year-old Alma tries to cope with the drive-by shooting death of her favorite Latina singer, as well as deal with the struggles of her various family members, and finds herself doing something she knows is wrong. For grades 5-8. Blind Boone, Piano Prodigy by Madge Harrah. BR 15511 Presents the life and career of blind pianist John William "Blind" Boone (1864-1927), who toured the United States after the Civil War bringing ragtime, classical, and African American music to the concert stage for forty-seven years. For grades 5-8. I Like You, If You Like Me: Poems of Friendship by Myra Cohn Livingston. RC 26407 An anthology of ninety short poems about the ups, downs, and importance of friends and friendship. Included are selections by Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes, and Karla Kuskin, as well as anonymous autograph verses, folk songs, and poems from other countries. For grades 5-8. A Dangerous Promise by Joan Lowery Nixon. RC 41001 First book in the "Orphan Train Adventures." Mike, twelve, and Todd, fourteen, want to be involved in the Civil War. They learn the drum calls needed by army drummers and run away to join the 2nd Kansas Infantry. But in their first battle, Todd dies and Mike is left for dead. When Mike is rescued, he must return home to fulfill a promise to Todd. For grades 5-8. Career Ideas for Kids who like Music and Dance by Diane Lindsey Reeves. RC 53993 Advice on pursuing careers in the arts for kids who want to concentrate on their creative bent. Includes profiles of a choir director, sound engineer, disc jockey, and other similar occupations. For grades 5-8. Sing Me a Story: The Metropolitan Opera's Book of Opera Stories for Children by Jane Rosenberg. RC 49694

Retellings of fifteen operas to introduce the basic story lines. Divided into acts, the stories include dialog and refer to specific musical passages. Presents Aida, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Die Fledermaus, Hansel and Gretel, The Magic Flute, and The Tales of Hoffmann among others. For grades 5-8. Clocks and Rhythms by Alvin Silverstein. RC 50168 Discusses the concept of time and its relationship to biological cycles, including phases of the moon, internal clocks of plants and animals, seasonal rhythms, and the aging process. Includes a glossary and a list of Internet resources. For grades 5-8. Rita Moreno by Susan Suntree. RC 40736 Born in Puerto Rico in 1931, Moreno moved to New York as a child. Tells how Moreno became an actress and the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar, which she received for her role in "West Side Story." Discusses Moreno's work on stage, in TV, and in recordings that led to her being the first performer to win all four top entertainment awards. For grades 5-8 and older readers. The Maestro by Tim Wynne-Jones. RC 45582 Fed up with his brutal, philandering father, fourteen-year-old Burl Crow takes off into the Canadian wilderness. He stumbles upon the cabin of an odd but inspiring pianist, Nathaniel Orlando Gow. Gow returns to the city the following day, allowing Burl to stay on in the cabin. A month later Burl learns that Gow is dead. For grades 5-8.

For Grades 6-9 David Bowie: Out of the Cool by Peter Goddard. RC 22626 This biography of the British rock star highlights his earlier career and focuses on the "Serious Moonlight Tour," his first world concert series in five years. For junior and senior high readers. Dizzy Gillespie and the Birth of Bebop by Leslie Gourse. BR 11074 Life of the jazz trumpeter who pioneered a progressive style of jazz known as bebop in the 1940s and 1950s. The author discusses how Gillespie, along with such musicians as Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, introduced to jazz more-complex harmonies, adventurous improvisation, and quicker tempos. For junior and senior high readers. Blowing on the Changes: The Art of the Jazz Horn Players by Leslie Gourse. BR 11876 Discusses the development of jazz from the 1900s to the 1990s. Gourse relates the story of Louis "Pops" Armstrong's rise to fame and his influence on the world of jazz. She also covers many other well-known horn players, including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Wynton Marsalis. For junior and senior high readers. M.C. Higgins, The Great by Virginia Hamilton. RC 36699 Newbery Medal. Thirteen-year-old M.C. hopes that a visiting folklorist will help his family escape the menace of a nearby strip mine by making his mama a recording star. For grades 6-9. One Love, One Heart: A History of Reggae by James Haskins. RC 55594 Discusses the Jamaican form of music called reggae, its African roots, and its relation to the Rastafarian religion. Gives a brief history of the Caribbean island and the musicians, including Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley, who popularized the sound. For junior and senior high readers. Harlem Stomp! A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance by Laban Carrick Hill. RC 59615

Describes the explosion of creativity that occurred in early twentieth-century Harlem when many African Americans moved north. Discusses the artistic, intellectual, literary, and political contributions of such figures as W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, and musicians of the Jazz Age. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music by Gerri Hirshey. RC 23848 A detailed work that tells the story of soul music--largely through anecdotes and through interviews with James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Mary Wilson, among others. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. Patakin: World Tales of Drums and Drummers by Nina Jaffe. RC 45298 Ten folktales involving drums and drummers in cultures around the world. Stories tell of drums that defeat demons, revive the dead, tame wild tigers, and lead a people to freedom. Notes describe the drums in each story and their individual drumming patterns. For grades 6-9. Say it Loud! The Story of Rap Music by K. Maurice Jones. BR 10564 History of the popular American music form. Jones traces rap music's roots to the West African griot tradition, the charismatic sermons of African American preachers, and the "jive talking" of jazz musicians, comedians, and poets. Includes profiles of rap artists such as Run-D.M.C., Queen Latifah, and Ice-T. For junior and senior high readers. Soul Survivors: The Official Autobiography of Destiny's Child by Beyonce Knowles. RC 55896 Three members of the award-winning all-girl singing group, Destiny's Child, describe its rise to fame. They attribute the group's success to a common faith, which the women say sustains them despite many obstacles in the competitive world of music. For junior and senior high readers. Pop Goes Latin! by Nancy Krulik. RC 49901 Traces the life of eleven Latino singers including Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Inlesias, and Christina Aguilera. Analyzes the changes in society and the music industry that led to acceptance of Spanish-language entertainers. For junior and senior high readers.

American Music Makers: An Introduction to American Composers by Janet Nichols. BR 9980 Biographical sketches of ten composers born in the United States. Nichols describes their most important works, suggests recordings to study, and explores what made their music important. One composer added Creole touches, one Tin Pan Alley sounds. One introduced the synthesizer. All produced distinctly American music. For junior and senior high and older readers. Women Music Makers: An Introduction to Women Composers by Janet Nichols. BR 9986 Sketches the lives of ten women who overcame discrimination in a field dominated by men. Beginning with a seventeenth-century composer, the author tells how women played instruments, sang, and wrote music. These women found a way to be heard, even if they had to publish under assumed names. For junior and senior high and older readers. This Land was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie by Elizabeth Partridge. RC 55433 Biography of Woody Guthrie (1912-1967), the Oklahoma singer, writer, and musician, who composed more than three thousand songs and ballads as he traveled around the United States, including "This Land Is Your Land" and "So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh." For grades 6-9 and older readers. Marian Anderson by Charles Patterson. RC 30371 A biography of the opera and concert singer who was the first African-American soloist to perform with the Metropolitan Opera Company. Anderson's enormous talent, hard work and unfailing determination led to her success here and abroad. For junior and senior high and older readers. Hit Me with Music: How to Start, Manage, Record, and Perform with Your Own Rock Band by Stephanie Powell. RC 43650, BR 10833 Handbook on organizing and managing one's own rock music group. Powell offers both creative and technical tips on all phases of the music business: using public address systems; mixing live music; utilizing recording studios;

promoting a band's negotiating contracts; and avoiding the perils of the business. For junior and senior high readers. Ray Charles: Voice of Soul by David Ritz. RC 46564, BR 11750 Biography of musical genius Ray Charles, who was left sightless by glaucoma as a child. While a student at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, Charles learned to read and write music in braille. Describes his personal and professional struggles, including drug addiction, as well as triumphs. For junior and senior high and older readers. Louis Armstrong by Sam Tanenhaus. RC 33741 Louis Armstrong was born into a poor New Orleans family at the turn of the century. At thirteen, he was sent to reform school, where he learned to play the cornet. Later, he attracted bandleader "King" Oliver's attention, and became world-famous as "Satchmo." For grades 6-9 and older readers. Stevie Wonder by Tenley Williams. RC 55785, BR 14571 Biography of the composer, pianist, and singer whose musical talent was evident from childhood. Discusses Stevie Wonder's recording success despite being "blind, black, and broke" when he started. For grades 6-9. The Mozart Season by Virginia Euwer Wolff. RC 34136 Twelve-year-old Allegra is the youngest person in the music competition. She spends her summer practicing a Mozart violin concerto, with time out to ride her bike, turn pages at concerts, increase her vocabulary -- and learn about happiness, fear, suffering, winning, and losing. For grades 6-9.

For High School Grown Up All Wrong: Seventy-five Great Rock and Pop Artists from Vaudeville to Techno by Robert Christgau. RC 50337 Tours the realm of popular music -- its different styles and well-known artists from the 1950s to 1997. These critical essays trace the evolution of pop, rock-and-roll, hip-hop, and other musical expressions, offering insights and discussing performers from the sophisticated Nat King Cole to the iconoclastic Beastie Boys. Some strong language. Born in the USA: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition by Jim Cullen. RC 62547 A professor "explores a series of myths, symbols, and words in American culture, and the ways in which Springsteen's music clarifies, revises, and reinterprets them." Examines the influence of the "American dream" and Catholicism on the musician. Update of 1997 edition includes analysis of Springsteen lyrics written since 2001. Lyrics, 1962-2001 by Bob Dylan. RC 60150, BR 15916 Compilation of song lyrics from twenty-eight albums by the influential and sometimes cryptic singer-songwriter. Ranges from his first album, "Bob Dylan" (1962), through 2001's "Love and Theft", with some additional material. Hip Hop America by Nelson George. RC 48179 Survey of African American rap music. Chronicles the twenty-year rise of hip-hop from the streets of New York City and describes its importance in the multinational industry of the 1990s. Highlights the major players and some of the effects of rap on society. For senior high and older readers. Broken Chords by Barbara Snow Gilbert. BR 12283 When Clara Lorenzo was only three, her parents--who both excelled in musical careers--recognized her talent at the piano and found her the best teacher. Now seventeen, Clara is poised to win a coveted scholarship competition when she begins to doubt her passion for the piano. For junior and senior high readers. Runaway American Dream: Listening to Bruce Springsteen by Jimmy Guterman.

BR 16203 Seven essays analyze the music of New Jersey rock musician Bruce Springsteen. Presents a song-by-song comparison of recordings and concert tours from the 1970s through 2004. Discusses band members, lovers and wives, and the commercial enterprises of the singer. One Nation Under a Groove: Rap Music and its Roots by James Haskins. RC 52607 Examines the origins and evolution of rap music, its African roots, and its continuing popularity throughout the world. Examines the "gangsta" image in hip-hop culture and the controversy surrounding some of its major artists, including female and white musicians. For junior and senior high readers. SPIN: Twenty Years of Alternative Music by Will Hermes. RC 61272 Articles from "SPIN" magazine that highlight artists and musical movements since 1985. Includes essays and interviews on Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Courtney Love, Phish, Eminem, Tupac, and OutKast as well as grunge, goth, rap-rock, Britpop, Napster, and other trends. Strong language. For senior high and older readers. Careers for Music Lovers and Other Tuneful Types by Jeff Johnson. RC 50277 Describes nineteen careers in the music field, with qualifications and duties for each job. Includes promotion, publicity, marketing, distribution, publishing, songwriting, and more. Profiles singers Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Donna Summer, and Ace of Base. For junior and senior high and older readers. Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics by Alicia Keys. RC 60251 A compilation of songs and poems from multiple award-winning, classically trained singer and pianist Alicia Keys. Includes lyrics from her two albums Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys and autobiographical reminiscences. For senior high and older readers. Bang your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal by David Konow. RC 55721 History of the music genre that evolved from the blues in England in the late 1960s. Discusses the careers of heavy metal's most notorious groups including Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Metallica, Def Leppard, and Guns N' Roses. Strong language. For senior high and older readers.

Stradivarius by Donald P. Ladew. RC 42346 In 1685 Antonio Stradivari, master craftsman of Cremona, created the violin he named Hercules. In 1951, Hercules is found in a burned-out farmhouse in Korea by wounded sergeant Luther Cole, who thinks of it as just a fiddle. He later realizes the instrument's quality and feels he has survived to care for it and see it put into the right hands. For senior high and older readers. Working in Music by Barbara Lee. BR 11369 Profiles of twelve people in musical careers, including a jazz drummer, a classical pianist, a violin maker, a composer, an arts administrator, a music teacher, a recording engineer, a folk musician, a music retailer, a child-life specialist, a disc jockey, and a vocalist. For junior and senior high and older readers. Shakey: Neil Young's Biography by Jimmy McDonough. RC 54664 Life and times of rock musician Neil Young, who was born in Canada in 1945 and developed both polio and epilepsy as a child. Focuses on the years between 1966 and 1979, when the songwriter-guitarist worked with such influential bands as Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Strong language. Essential Musical Intelligence: Using Music as your Path to Healing, Creativity, and Radiant Wholeness by Louise Montello. RC 58516 Music therapist's guide to reconnecting with one's essential music intelligence (EMI), the innate ability to use sound to facilitate total health and well-being, increase vitality, and cope with pain. Relates case histories and personal accounts to demonstrate meditative exercises utilizing a variety of music from classical to drumming. The 'Rolling Stone' Book of Women in Rock: Trouble Girls by Barbara O'Dair. RC 46361 Fifty-six essays profiling hundreds of female blues, jazz, gospel, country, and rock singers. Describes each music movement and includes discographies and a bibliography. For senior high and older readers. Rise Up Singing: The Group Singing Songbook by Peter Blood and Annie Patterson.

BR 15407 Collection of twelve hundred song favorites for use at camp, school, church, or home. Selections cover topics such as America, ecology, freedom, good times, hard times, home and family, love, peace, and religion (hymns and spirituals). Includes words and chords for each song. Introduction by Pete Seeger. Electro Shock! Groundbreakers of Synth Music by Greg Rule. RC 50113 This survey of synthesizer music offers profiles of seventeen performers, compiled from Keyboard magazine, and discusses the electronic instruments used. Presents interviews with Nine Inch Nails, Mark Snow of the X-Files, and Depeche Mode, among others. Includes a listening guide. For senior high and older readers. Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul by Craig Werner. RC 59603 Professor of African American culture traces the interconnectedness of soul music, spirituality, and the civil rights movement during the 1960s and 1970s. In the process he relates the personal narratives of Wonder, Franklin, and Mayfield, leading artists of the period. Gangsta Rap by Benjamin Zephaniah. BR 16321 Rebellious fifteen-year-old Londoner Ray, alienated from his West Indian father, gets sent to an alternative school. His hip-hop band hits the big time but has trouble with rival rappers until an act of violence convinces Ray to seek peace. Some violence and some strong language. For senior high readers.