Two Scarlet Songbirds: A Story of Anton Dvorak

by Carole Lexa Schaefer

Book Overview

Fact and fiction come together in a magically imagined tale of the composer Anton Dvor?k's inspiration for "American Quartet." Transfixed by the birdsong of the little Iowa river town where he and his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375810226
• ISBN13: 9780375810220
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.8" x 10.8"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

The Magic of Inspiration all Around Us!

This is a magical story and a sumptuously illustrated feast for the eyes, showing kids (and us "former kids") that inspiration is everywhere around us.It was the lush illustration that first caught my eye and led me into this wonderful, beautifully written (and true!) tale of a famous composer sparked to write one of his most famous creations by the song of a bird in the branches above him. Our six year old nephew has been unable to put it down ever since we gave it to him. And while we love seeing him dive into it and stay entertained, the book had a wonderful side effect we never expected... he has suddenly taken heightened interest in his surroundings. When we took a walk yesterday, he was suddenly imitating the songs of seagulls. He said he wanted to try to capture the color of the afternoon sunlight when we got home and he reached for his crayons. He has always been very curious, but never to this degree! He seemed to suddenly be approaching his drawing with extra energy and purpose. It was amazing to see."Two Scarlet Songbirds" has somehow demystified creativity and unleashed new levels of awareness curiosity and confidence in him. I'll confess this inspiration has rubbed off on this forty year old too. I've never been moved to write a review before...If you don't put this piece of magic into the hands of the little ones you know, you're missing something wonderful! The illustrations are so visually rich that even very young ones will love it (the nephew I spoke of has a one year old brother who was delighted looking at the pictures and having it read to him). Thumbs up!!