Music from the Sky - Review

Music from the Sky by Denise Gillard, Illustrated by StephenTaylor Groundwood Books' May 2001, $15.95 ISBN 0-888-99311-0, Ages 4-8

Denise Gillard's first book for children was born out of her recollections of summers spent in Nova Scotia with her grandparents. In case you didn't know, Nova Scotia is the home of Canada's oldest black communities. This story celebrates the families of African descent in North America and the transitions of children spending summers with their elders. It describes the loving and caring relationship that a young girl has with her grandpa, beginning with an early morning adventure to find the perfect tree branch so grandpa can carve a flute. She is doubtful that Grampa can make one out of a tree branch. She has seen flutes before. She has even blown a few notes through a shiny metal one and been to a concert in the city.

Grampa knows what he is doing, and after finding the right branch, they return home to begin whittling away at the branch until it becomes a flute. Soon his granddaughter can make music just like the music she imagined one day while gazing at an azure sky filled with puffy white clouds--"music from the sky".

The illustrations of Stephen Taylor provide a soft summer breeze that will capture your family's hearts. This story may well be used as a starting place for your children to begin writing remembrances of visits to grandma and grandpa's house. The text also includes hand-carving instructions for readers to make their very own flute.

Khafre Abif is a BIBR associate editor

COPYRIGHT 2001 Cox, Matthews & Associates
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group