Mister Rogers' Gift of Music

by Donna Cangelosi, Amanda Calatzis (Illustrator)

Overview

For a young Fred Rogers, music was a gift. It eased the pain of childhood illness and bullying and helped Fred express how he felt when words alone were difficult.

As an adult, he gifted his melodies to the world, showing children by example that they can express themselves, cope with negative feelings, and connect to each other through music.

This sensitive, life-affirming biography not only portrays the life of this beloved TV personality, but focuses on Fred’s most memorable songs and musical TV moments, and captures the enduring magic of his music in brilliantly colorful abstract illustration. Readers will not only learn about what music meant to Fred Rogers, but find the encouragement and inspiration to brighten their own lives with song.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645674702
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	08/23/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	207,984
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Donna Cangelosi is a child psychologist who, much like Mister Rogers, spends her days working with children to help them understand and process their feelings. She was born in New Jersey and lives there today. In her free time, Donna reads biographies, visits museums, and does yoga. This is her debut picture book.

Amanda Calatzis spent countless days watching Mister Rogers after school when she was growing up. Today, she brings that same warm, comforting feeling into her own art. She previously wrote and illustrated Khalida and the Most Beautiful Song (Page Street Kids). She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, and three dogs, where she spends her days creating art in her studio, playing guitar, and reading as many books as she can.

Editorial Reviews

10/03/2022

Visceral text and illustrations relay the songwriting inspirations of Fred Rogers (1928–2003) while spotlighting music’s unifying power. As a lonely, sickly, and bullied child, Rogers found comfort in music. As an adult, he created his legendary television program to help children process their feelings, in part through the hundreds of songs he shared on the air. Cangelosi imbues the rhythmic text with readaloud-friendly literary devices, such as the alliterative “raging rhythms that roared,” while Calatzis’s busy mixed-media illustrations, which depict racial diversity, demand close inspection. Rogers’s song lyrics swirl alongside splashes of bright color throughout, which accompany emotion-oriented metaphors (“storm of dark feelings”) alongside realistic depictions of favorite characters. An author’s note and bibliography conclude. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Young fans will be tickled by the familiar lyrics and swirling colors, and their grownups will delight in gentle nostalgia. An affectionate tribute to both the remarkable man and his musical legacy." — Booklist, starred review

"The illustrations [...] bring readers into the world of Mister Rogers and his neighborhood of imagination with love and care. The characters, puppets and humans alike, are immediately recognizable and remarkably detailed and accurate. Music shines through the pages [...]" —School Library Journal

"Visceral text and illustrations relay the songwriting inspirations of Fred Rogers (1983-2003) while spotlighting music's unifying power." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

08/01/2022

K-Gr 2—Debut author Cangelosi pens a story of Fred Rogers's relationship to music and how he connected it with emotional learning. As a child, Rogers had asthma, a condition that isolated him from his peers. He was also the victim of frequent bullying. At the age of five he began to play the piano, thus beginning his lifelong love of music, and his eventual discovery that it could lead to healing. The story then jumps from his childhood straight to the creation of Rogers's television show and how he used his unique songwriting abilities to connect with children around the world. The illustrations, largely in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil, bring readers into the world of Mister Rogers and his neighborhood of imagination with love and care. The characters, puppets and humans alike, are immediately recognizable and remarkably detailed and accurate. Music shines through the pages with swirling colors, shapes, and song lyrics, while the lower moments of Rogers's childhood are depicted in tones of gray. VERDICT While other picture book biographies offer a more complete picture of this icon's life, the focus on the musical elements, along with the wondrous illustrations, make this a recommended purchase.—Clara Hendricks

School Library Journal