The Enchanted Symphony

by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton, Elly MacKay (Illustrator)

Overview

The Enchanted Symphony is an inspiring picture book about the power of art, nature, and community from New York Times bestselling mother–daughter duo, beloved Academy Award-winner Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton.

When a lively village is beset by a mysterious fog, the town turns dull and silent; melancholy neighbors stop visiting each other and even going outside. Until one day, when a boy’s simple melody strikes a chord, reminding everyone of what matters most—even in the darkest of times.

Beautifully and colorfully illustrated by Elly MacKay, The Enchanted Symphony is a powerful, hopeful fairy tale celebrating life’s simple pleasures that bring us together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419763199
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	12,924
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Julie Andrews has been a cherished star of stage, screen, and TV for more than half a century. Her many beloved roles include characters in Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, The Princess Diaries, and recently, the voice of Lady Whistledown on Bridgerton. Not only a Golden Globe, Emmy, and Oscar winner, Andrews is also a bestselling author. She has dedicated her life to important causes, such as Operation USA, an international relief organization, and received her honors as a Dame of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on New Year’s Eve 1999.

Editorial Reviews

Actor Andrews and her daughter Walton Hamilton pay tribute to the power of music. MacKay places her gracefully posed, diverse figures in luminously hued scenes of narrow streets and neatly kept buildings perched on a steep hill and threaded with musical staves. Sweet art.—Kirkus

From the Publisher

2023-07-13
Actor Andrews and her daughter Walton Hamilton pay tribute to the power of music.

The inhabitants of a small village are happy with “simple pleasures” until they commercialize to attract tourists…whereupon a dismal purple mist creeps in and thickens to the point that people stop visiting or even going outside. Then one day little Piccolino, who is helping his father dust the deserted opera house, plinks out a tune on the piano…and notices that the palms in the lobby look fresher. The brown-skinned pair proceed to gather wilting houseplants from all over town, park them in the auditorium seats, and call the orchestra members in for a concert. The plants flourish, the fog lifts, and throngs of villagers are drawn out into the streets by the music to dance and sing. Everyone realizes that “if they remained faithful to all that matters most, nothing could darken their days again.” In a closing note the authors state that they were inspired by an actual concert played in Barcelona in 2020 to an “audience” of plants—a piece of performance art more likely to stimulate discussion than this trite, sugary mess. The illustrations are one bright spot: MacKay places her gracefully posed, diverse figures in luminously hued scenes of narrow streets and neatly kept buildings perched on a steep hill and threaded with musical staves. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sweet art, cloying storyline. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews