Everyone loves a good book, and many authors and illustrators have created books about music for the young and the young at heart. Here are some titles you might want to add to your own library to enjoy along with your favorite music.
1. Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Anna Harwell Celenza with JoAnn E. Kitchel, illustrator
ISBN: 9781570915109
Author Anna Harwell Celenza is a professor at Georgetown University who publishes books for children and scholars. What a better way to introduce young ones to one of J.S. Bach's greatest masterpieces than with this beautifully illustrated book?
2. Beethoven Lives Upstairs
Barbara Nichol with Scott Cameron, illustrator
ISBN: 9780531071182
Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most complex figures in music history. He was celebrated yet misunderstood by his contemporaries. This book tells the touching story of the man behind the music.
3. Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra
Andrea Davis Pinkney with Brian Pinkney, illustrator
ISBN: 9780786814206
The winner of 12 Grammy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, “The Duke” is one of the most celebrated musical figures of the 20th century. Introduce your little ones to the music of this influential pianist, composer, and band leader with this book which received a Caldecott Honor.
4. Handel, Who Knew What He Liked
M.T. Anderson with Kevin Hawkes, illustrator
ISBN: 9780763665999
This book perfectly captures the charm and wit of George Frideric Handel, who was as particular about his music as he was about everything else. This well-researched but accessible biography is a great way to show young people that composers often led colorful lives.
5. The Nutcracker
E.T.A. Hoffmann with Maurice Sendak, illustrator & Ralph Manheim, translator
ISBN: 9780385348645
There are many, many versions of The Nutcracker. The one illustrated by Maurice Sendak is special, however, because he created the illustrations as he was designing a new production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker for the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
6. Peter and the Wolf
Sergei Prokofiev with Charles Mikolaycak, illustrator & Maria Carlson, translator
ISBN: 9780140506334
Sergei Prokofiev not only wrote the story to Peter and the Wolf, but he also wrote a beautiful score to accompany the tale as it is narrated aloud. Though there are many versions of the classic tale, the illustrations in this Puffin edition are particularly wonderful.
7. The Other Mozart: The Life of the Famous Chevalier de Saint George
Hugh Brewster with Eric Velasquez, illustrator
ISBN: 9780810957206
Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges had a remarkable life for many reasons. He’s remembered today because he was an exceptional composer of African descent during the time of Mozart. But in his lifetime, he was equally famous as an incredible fencer and military leader who commanded an all-Black regiment during the French Revolution.
8. When Marian Sang
Pam Muñoz Ryan with Brian Selznick (illustrator)
ISBN: 9780439269674
Marian Anderson broke boundaries for musicians of color throughout her life. One of the most notable performances in her career took place outside the Lincoln Memorial after she was denied entrance to Constitution Hall because of the color of her skin. This book is a fantastic way to share her legacy.
9. The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy Is Enlightening
Chris Raschka, author & illustrator
ISBN: 9780763658069
How could you not want to read a book that begins:
"Earthlings themselves confused Sun Ra… So he made music. And he traveled with other musicians and singers, calling themselves the Sun Ra Arkestra, playing, singing, and dancing for people all over the planet. Because music, he said, is what holds us all together."
10. Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln
Margarita Engle with Rafael López, illustrator
ISBN: 9781481487405
Venezuelan-born pianist Teresa Carreño broke barriers in the 19th century. In a time when women seldom performed, she was a piano superstar, performing for President Lincoln when she was just 10 years old after immigrating to the US! An inspiring and well-illustrated book for the music lover or prodigy in your life.
11. Do Re Mi: If You Can Read Music, Thank Guido d’Arezzo
Susan Roth with Angelo Mafucci
ISBN: 9780618465729
For those who think medieval music is inaccessible, think again. This book presents rudimentary music theory through a fascinating history of the man who invented solfège: Guido d’Arezzo.
12. For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart
Elizabeth Rusch with Lou Fancher & Steve Johnson, illustrators
ISBN: 9781582463261
Did you know Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sister was a virtuosa in her own right? This book tells the tale of Maria Anna Mozart, whom her famous brother affectionately called Nannerl.
13. How to Build an Orchestra
Mary Auld & Elisa Paganelli, with Sir Simon Rattle
ISBN: 978-1526309839
Follow along as a conductor assembles an orchestra instrument-by-instrument. Produced in conjunction with the London Symphony Orchestra and featuring an introduction by music director Sir Simon Rattle, this 2020 title showcases the incredible variety and unity that goes into an orchestra.
14. Brundibár
Tony Kushner with Maurice Sendak, illustrator
ISBN: 9780786809042
Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak adapted Hans Krása’s children’s opera Brundibár for modern audiences both on the stage and in print. The opera’s tale — about children in search of milk for their ailing mother — is a political allegory about World War II.
15. Strange Mr. Satie: Composer of the Absurd
M.T. Anderson with Petra Mathers, illustrator
ISBN: 9780763687755
Quirky kids might identify with Erik Satie, a composer who challenged his listeners then and now with his sardonic humor and idiosyncratic musical style.
This story was first published by Stephen Raskauskas in 2016. It has been updated with additional selections and descriptions.
