The Note Who Faced the Music

by Lindsay Bonilla, Mark Hoffmann (Illustrator)

Overview

Half Note doesn’t feel whole. With two beats, she isn’t as big and beautiful as Whole Note, or as quick and upbeat as Quarter Note. She worries she’ll never measure up! So when the other members of the musical staff are at rest, she picks up like a fast tempo and leaves.

But Composer and the staff can’t play anything noteworthy without Half Note. Their only hope is to convince Half Note to change her tune and come back.

This hilarious, offbeat tale of sheet music in treble will strike a chord with anyone who’s felt out of sync, ringing with reassurance that everyone has a part to play when working as a team. At the coda, readers can develop their ear with a glossary of musical terms included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645676317
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	03/14/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	286,243
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.55(h) x 0.35(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lindsay Bonilla is the author of multiple picture books, including I Love You with All of My Hearts (Creative Editions) and Polar Bear Island (Sterling). While she doesn’t consider herself to be very musical, she has dabbled in playing keyboard, cello, and, most recently, the top two strings of an electric bass. She lives in North Canton, Ohio, with her husband and two sons.

Mark Hoffmann thinks all his talent must have gone into illustration, as his ability to carry a tune is nonexistent. Luckily, his strengths have been put to good use in many picture books, including A Penny’s Worth (Page Street Kids). Mark loves sharing playfully educational stories like this one with his son. He also works as a college professor and lives in Salem, New Hampshire.

Editorial Reviews

02/06/2023

Nonstop wordplay and a familiar plot about fitting in bolster this educational music theory text. Though Composer, portrayed with light skin and black hair, is clear that all notes are “important to the musical staff,” Half Note doesn’t “feel whole.” Seeing itself as insignificant next to Whole Note, which can “fill a whole measure,” and “quick and upbeat” Eighth Note, Half Note hops a train for the “end of the line”—the coda. But when Composer tries to conduct a favorite song without Half Note, an “offbeat,” “awful” cacophony ensues, and only one note can save the day. Though tongue-in-cheek text doesn’t initially introduce the subject matter behind the puns, Bonilla’s predictable plot gives readers space to gain a rudimentary familiarity with note lengths and music terminology, making it well suited for classroom use alongside instruction. Bold, angularly rendered acrylic and colored pencil images from Hoffmann offer quirky anthropomorphized visualizations of each note. A glossary concludes. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"[A] hilarious story about musical notes and the value of everyone [...] Music lovers [...] will appreciate the puns that abound through the story, and the happy ending is sure to please just about everyone." —School Library Journal

"Nonstop wordplay [...] well suited for classroom use alongside instruction." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

11/01/2022

K-Gr 3—Half Note is feeling underappreciated in this hilarious story about musical notes and the value of everyone. The Half Note notices how wonderful everyone else sounds, but her own beat just isn't enough anymore, so she boards a train to head for the end of the line. Will the composer be able to lure her back? Music lovers and children who have had enough training to be in on the joke will appreciate the puns that abound through the story, and the happy ending is sure to please just about everyone. The exuberant artwork, a mad blend of comic-book style and Saturday morning cartoons, adds to the fun of the story. VERDICT A good choice for libraries needing stories for the music section or for funny books with wordplay.—Debbie Tanner

School Library Journal

2022-12-24
It’s important to hit all the right notes.

A tan-skinned musical composer with puffy black hair is busy at work on his next musical masterpiece when Half Note, a music symbol denoting two beats, feels unappreciated. Half Note is jealous of the more commonly used Quarter Note (one beat) and Eighth Note. Although the other musical symbols attempt to calm and comfort Half Note, she decides to run away. The next day, Composer needs Half Note and panics when he realizes that she’s gone. The other notes and musical symbols try to find her, but it’s only when they try to play her favorite song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” without her—with terrible results—that she comes running back. The story’s humor—which is largely based on “dad joke” puns—is completely dependent on readers’ musical knowledge. The artwork, a mix of acrylic and colored pencil, attempts to add some allegrezza to the piece, and while it’s not unsuccessful, it’s facing an uphill battle. Music teachers and musically minded caregivers may find some value in this story, but it will likely be too specialized for general readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Amusing but a little off tempo. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews