A is for Oboe: The Orchestra's Alphabet

by Lera Auerbach, Marilyn Nelson, Paul Hoppe (Illustrator)

Overview

This deeply imaginative and entertaining poetry collection details the pleasures of the orchestra, from strong-willed A to satisfied Z.

Two widely acclaimed poets—one a composer and classical pianist as well—have come together to create this extraordinary portrait of the orchestra in all of its richness and fascination, using the structure of the alphabet in a way that's entirely new and delightful. A is for the first note you hear as you take your seat in the concert hall, played by the headstrong oboe. B is for the bassoon, "the orchestra's jester, complaining impatiently through his nose." And C is for the conductor, "like the captain on the bridge of a great ship, navigating the composer's musical charts."

Onward the text goes, soaring in reverie and making thought-provoking observations while not taking itself too seriously—illuminating all the various details that flow together to create the nourishing experience of playing or listening to music.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525553779
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/04/2022
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Lera Auerbach is a poet, visual artist, composer, and concert pianist. Born in Chelyabinsk, Russia, she defected to the U.S. at the age of seventeen, and began studying in New York. She holds degrees in composition from Juilliard and a piano degree from Hanover University in Germany. She has composed numerous works for opera, ballet, and orchestra that have been performed throughout the world, including recent performances at New York's Lincoln Center, Washington's Kennedy Center, and the San Francisco Ballet. Her first English-language poetry collection, Excess of Being, was published in 2015.

Marilyn Nelson is a three-time National Book Award Finalist, has won a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor and several Coretta Scott King Honors, and has received several prestigious poetry awards, including the Poets' Prize and the Robert Frost Medal. She has recently been a judge of poetry applicants at the National Endowment for the Arts and Yaddo, and has received three honorary doctorates.

Paul Hoppe was born in Poland, raised in Germany, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he works as an illustrator. He has written and/or illustrated twelve children's books, and his illustrations have appeared in many journals, including the New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. He teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and creates his artwork in a studio at the historic Pencil Factory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for A is for Oboe

★ "With stunning poetry and vivid illustrations, this volume reimagines what an orchestra is, all while delivering a lesson on how to listen. There’s energy and movement in the pictures and poems, organized into riffs on each letter, from A to Z, in imitation of music . . . Putting aside the artistry, this book also serves as an introduction to musical concepts, including everything from tempo and rests to notation and phrasing. It’s sure to inspire young readers to make music and approach it in fresh ways." —Booklist, starred review

★ "Combining the talents of composer Auerbach and poet Nelson with the illustrations of Hoppe, this collection of poems is a lyrical and colorful introduction to the orchestra. . . . This fine overview of the orchestra is a great fit for all collections, especially school libraries, where music teachers could use this resource for instruction." —School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 01/28/2022

Gr 2–5—Combining the talents of composer Auerbach and poet Nelson with the illustrations of Hoppe, this collection of poems is a lyrical and colorful introduction to the orchestra. Starting as most concerts and rehearsals do, the oboe plays an opening A note, and what follows are brief, but musical, poems about the instruments, people, and vocabulary often associated with an orchestra. Readers get not only a cursory introduction to each section but also a sense of the role each instrument and person might play. In a tribute to the French horn, the instrument is noted for its "hoity-toity haughtiness, his highfalutin brassiness." At first, the assignment of gender might feel a bit clumsy, but the authors explain that for most musicians, musical instruments aren't things but rather beings they refer to as "he" or "she" and that some instruments could be considered "gender-bending." Hoppe's vibrant illustrations not only add to the meaning of each poem but also help share the message that the orchestra is for everyone. Careful representation showcases musicians of a variety of genders, ethnicities, and religions. Also represented is a variety of skill levels, reminding them that the orchestra isn't just for a small elite group of people. Although at times the vocabulary used might be a bit elevated for the target audience, a skillful librarian or teacher will be able to help readers navigate through these passages. VERDICT This fine overview of the orchestra is a great fit for all collections, especially school libraries, where music teachers could use this resource for instruction.—Louie Lauer

School Library Journal

Narrator Thomas Quasthoff's voice has a musicality perfectly suited to this rich alphabet book with its own symphonic score. This is a poetic tribute to the orchestra—from the titular oboe, offering its musical “A” at each symphony’s beginning, to musical notation, the conductor, the instruments, and the audience. In concert with the authors' passages, Quasthoff's German-accented baritone moves through alliterative phrases, describing singing piccolos, mournful English horns, and trilling woodwinds. Each letter has its own music accompanying Quasthoff’s narration and as a stand-alone piece of representative music. There is simply no better way to experience this book than to hear it. An educational and emotive homage to the orchestra. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile

Narrator Thomas Quasthoff's voice has a musicality perfectly suited to this rich alphabet book with its own symphonic score. This is a poetic tribute to the orchestra—from the titular oboe, offering its musical “A” at each symphony’s beginning, to musical notation, the conductor, the instruments, and the audience. In concert with the authors' passages, Quasthoff's German-accented baritone moves through alliterative phrases, describing singing piccolos, mournful English horns, and trilling woodwinds. Each letter has its own music accompanying Quasthoff’s narration and as a stand-alone piece of representative music. There is simply no better way to experience this book than to hear it. An educational and emotive homage to the orchestra. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile