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CM . . . .
Volume VII Number 12 . . . . February 16, 2001
Mother and daughter find it difficult to find acceptance with the practical folk of the town.
Arabella's new teacher, Mrs. Bat, makes her disapproval of her new pupil's frilly dress and ringlets
obvious when she hands out instruments for the Rhythm Band. Given last choice, Arabella is left
with a pair of wooden blocks to accompany her teacher's loud banging on the piano. As the winter
wears on, Arabella's mother gradually wins the respect of the townspeople as more and more
parents bring their children to her for piano lessons. Every night, Arabella sits down at the piano
and plays to ease the misery and loneliness of her days at school. Finally, spring comes, and, with
it, the recital where Arabella at last has a chance to show the whole town (including Mrs. Bat) her
true worth.
Laura Fernandez and Rick Jacobson, the gifted wife-and-husband team whose
last memorable title was Maxine Trottier's Prairie Willow, have
brought the characters and setting of this tender story into wonderfully
clear focus with the detailed realism of their art work. In older readers,
the full-color illustrations will inspire the same sort of nostalgia that
Norman Rockwell paintings do. Many beautifully rendered images, such as
the old treadle sewing machine, the scratched hinge-topped wooden school
desks and Mother's seamed stockings, give the reader a sense of being
there. The closeness of Arabella and her mother, which is shown (never
told) in Reynolds' simple yet compelling prose, is made touchingly clear
in the artists' depiction of the two characters.
Elementary school librarians will welcome The Magnificent Piano
Recital into their collection of historical Canadian picture books.
Grandparents will enjoy the re-creation of small-town post-war Canada, and
teachers should find it an engaging read-aloud for children from
Kindergarten to Grade 4.
Highly Recommended.
A retired teacher-librarian with a continuing interest in juvenile literature, Valerie Nielsen lives in
Winnipeg, MB.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
Published by
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Marilynn Reynolds has a gift for translating her memories into stories set in an earlier era of
Canadian history. Previous titles, such as Belle's Journey, The New Land, and her latest
award-winning picture book, Prairie Fire, brought to life pioneer life on the prairies. In The
Magnificent Piano Recital, Reynolds sets her story in the 1940's. One winter's night, eight-year-old Arabella and her mother arrive "...at a sawmill town on the edge of a great northern
lake" accompanied only by three battered suitcases and a huge wooden crate containing a piano.
Arabella's mother has a grand plan; she is going to teach the children of this little town to play the
piano, and, in the spring time, they will hold a magnificent piano recital.