Mozart (Little People, BIG DREAMS, 105)

These books are fun for kids and adults alike! The illustrations are beautiful and I love displaying them on the book ledges in my boys room and switching them up for the season. My kids can easily read these on their own (8 and 10) but prefer when I read them to them. We read one every night before bed and its a little comprehensive history lesson for the whole family!

‘Mozart’ by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara with illustrations by Lia Visirin is a picture book biography of the famous composer.Wolfgang Mozart started playing keyboard at 3, but he didn’t stop there. He mastered instruments, wrote compositions and played for royal families. Mozart pushed musical boundaries, wrote over 600 pieces and tragically died young.This is book 105 in a series that shows no sign of ending or flagging in quality. The illustrations are great and this is a good subject for this series.

Love this series

Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara has done wonders once again with her Little People, Big Dreams book, showcasing how a young talent pursued his dreams and became famous for the remainder of human time.Obviously Mozart was born with an extraordinary gift to hear music in his mind and put it to paper. He also was a phenom at playing the piano. Given his abilities, he was destined for greatness, but it also helped that his father was well-known, and they had connections to be able to play for royal courts. Few people are born with such talents nor even they did, many parents may not have the means and/or connections to be able to be able to help children to greatness and become famous like Mozart was.That aside, this book shows that Mozart worked hard - he didn’t just rest on his laurels. It also showcased him as an everyman who wasn’t without troubles (he and his wife went through periods of poverty despite his fame and talents) and also showed how times were rough for women (his sister was not allowed to perform in public after a certain age simply because she was a girl).One thing I found to be lacking with this book were discussions about specific pieces of music that were composed by Mozart that children have heard. There is one requiem at the end mentioned but things like The Magic Flute, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Rondo alla turca sonata, 40th symphony are all things that are in popular culture and could be mentioned, even if it’s a line item in the back. There is a hat tip to The Story Orchestra: The Magic Flute, which is a terrific book. You do get a two-page history of Mozart that is a little more detailed at the end of the book, along with a short timeline of his life. Mostly it’s just a retelling of what was found throughout the book and there isn’t a whole lot of extras. You don’t learn much about his family, such as he had 6 kids, 4 of which who died in infancy or that he probably suffered from depression, how he died at a very young age of 35 (organ damage after a strep infection), etc.As with all Little People, Big Dreams books, this one tells an engaging, easy to understand story of a child’s quest to be great at what they do. It’s inspirational and shows that hard work and determination pay off. The artwork by Lia Visirin in this book is phenomenal - one of my favorites of this series. The characters in the book are drawn in the cartoon style used by the series and it is engaging to young readers without being corny. There is a lot of detail present in the pictures that gives a sense of feelings of Mozart and emotion generated by the music.Overall, this is an excellent book for kids, which focuses almost exclusively on his talents. This book would make an excellent gift especially for music-loving children and fits in nicely with others in the series: “Each began life as a a child with a dream”.

What a delightful introduction to Mozart, a man of so much talent, for young readers. I liked that it began when he was only three, which is when he learned to play the piano simply by watching his sister play. I don't know about you, but when I was three I was more interested to motoring along after puppies and lambs than sitting inside playing a piano. Be prepared for children's questions of why his sister was no longer allowed to perform when she married simply because she was a female, however.That aside, even knowing the stress and overwhelming loss of childhood his incredible talents took from him, this story is for children and it's uplifting and nicely illustrated. The illustrations not only show us Mozart, of course, but a sense of the grandeur of the places he performed and became accustomed to working. I liked the touch of musical notes and score running through the early pages, albeit that touch seemed to end at about the time he reached adulthood and had to deal with real life issues, like paying the bills, not just focus on his musical compositions. Not that the story focuses on that but perhaps a visual nod to more tuned in adult readers?Bottom line, I thoroughly enjoyed this book (and also the entire Little People, Big Dreams series). He's first presented as a child, just like the primary readers of this book, and the story of Mozart is an intriguing one, with the illustrations giving us a hint of the people about him who impacted his short life in one way or the other. It was a simplified version of his life, true, but as an introduction for children to not just him but perhaps classical music, it was easily followed and understood. Thank you #NetGalley and #QuartoPublishingGroup - #FrancesLincolnChildren'sBooks for this nicely done, concise look at an extraordinary life as well as the info on where to find out more at the end.

Nice illustrations. Provides a high level overview of Mozart and his life in a way that kids can follow.

This is a great book about a unique figure: Mozart.

I got this as a present for my nephew who is certainly very smart for his age and difficult to keep entertained. I like this book in particular because it involves music and history in an easily digestible format. It is not too specific or in depth, but perfect for a cursory introduction to the iconic musical figure. The book is also nicely printed and well bound. Coloring and printing is vivid and clear.