The Story Orchestra: The Sleeping Beauty

This book was a hit for children ranging in age from 2 to 10. A 10 year old saw a copy in a bookstore and asked for it as a gift and loves it. Whenever cousins come over they enjoy having it read to them. The illustrations are pleasing and attractive and accompany the ballet music and story well. This book is a definite hit and a treasure.

Tasteful, thoughtful, intentional, this book is fabulous and here's why: 1. Tasteful; the Prince in the book gives the Princess a "kiss on the forehead" to wake her. I gave this as a Christmas gift and all the children, really all ages delighted in the story from small to adult. Wonderful. 2. Thoughtful; a few years ago we attended a Symphony Orchestra performance Storytime at our city Library. The narrator read through the story and the Orchestra would play each feeling according to what was read (loud timpani drums or soft violins and so on, of the emotion with their instruments). This book is just like that experience, yet in the comfort of home--you read the page and press the button and the songs carry the story with the emotion on the page. I cannot tell you how much everyone enjoys this part of the book, it adds so much to the experience of storytime. 3. Intentional; The story illustrations are characters of many different skin colors and this is just so lovely and well done in the beautiful artwork. The images are classic and the foil gold touches add whimsy. Reading a story is more than words, it's the way the story is told and all these details are thoughtfully, tastefully done. The kids, boys and girls were both excited to read it. Another note on intentionality, the last page of the book shares a bit about Tchaikovsky, what he wrote and why he composed some of his most famous work. This includes a small Glossary for the story. Truly this book is a treasure, look no further for a very thoughtful, enjoyable-for-all gift.

We love this series! My kids have had a great introduction into classical music via these books. I also love that they are able to recognize the songs elsewhere in the world. They can name the composers and are also now familiar with the classic stories. It’s a great series to add! We have Swan Lake, the Nutcracker, sleeping beauty, and a Midsummer’s night dream. All are great! The music clips are just long enough to get a sense of the song. The first two books we had ordered seemed to have harder buttons to press, but I think they may have resolved this issue as the last two books are much easier. The books do wear a bit if they are mishandled. But ours have held up over a couple years I think the biggest issue is that they are not bound in a very durable way. Secondly even though the covers are very beautiful the color can wear if they are mistreated. Ours have held up pretty well though! I highly recommend these books! We began reading these with her kids when they were about four years old in between then and now when they’re about six and seven, they have really enjoyed them!

I bought all of these books, and I am leaving this same review on all of them. My two-year-old loves them! The music is very clear as long as you hold the book upright, and, to be honest, I am surprised by how clear it is even when it's laying down. The illustrations are beautiful, and there are so many things to look at on each page! For instance, in the Four Seasons book, there are easter eggs in spring, and on one page in another book, there is a tiny spider. I could talk to my toddler about one page for five minutes easily because there is so much to look at. In some of the books, there are some thoughtful illustrations to demonstrate the instruments being played. In the Carnival of Animals book, there is a bunny playing a flute, for instance, when there is music that is mostly played by flutes. Also my toddler is able to press the buttons. It is a little hard, but he manages it okay. Well worth the price tag!

This is a superb book for a range of ages (I enjoyed learning about the music, and any child past page-ripping age would enjoy the music, even before they can read). It's our second Story Orchestra book, and I prefer this to Four Seasons, as the story faithfully narrates the ballet. Illustrations are beautiful, creative, and detailed. A particularly nice touch is the inclusive range of skin tones in the characters, and the king and queen are a mixed-race couple, so the princess is not the stereotypical Caucasian. Our favorite part is the last page with the slightly more technical explanations, where readers are taught to listen to the different sounds in the music (beats as horse hooves, flute as birds, notes as church bells, etc.). My kids (aged 7 and 5) are proud of themselves when they recognize the connections. To address other comments, we also have the same issue with pushing the buttons through the first few pages. Little fingers simply are not strong enough, and even I have trouble occasionally. We easily solve it by finding the corresponding button on the last page. The volume is certainly not too loud on our books - if anything, I'd like it slightly louder - so it seems that varies. I'm back to buy both this book and Four Seasons as gifts.

I gave this book for my niece’s 4th birthday. She loves ballet and this book is a really nice introduction to the music. The quality of the music is exceptional. The illustration is wonderful. I love to see all skin colors depicted in the book. In an era when diversity should be highlighted, this is a great example. And as others already mentioned, sometimes it is hard to push the music buttons. But I don’t mind at all. Just a little downside. After all, it is suitable to read this book with an adult who can help pushing the music buttons. Overall, I am very satisfied with these series (got 3 so far) and I plan to get the other two titles. Highly recommended!

Beautiful book and music! One of my 4 year olds favorite Christmas gifts!

The music and pictures of this book are so beautiful and we love the concept of this. The buttons are a little bit hard to press and were a challenge when my daughter was younger

What an amazing book . My daughter who is 5 loved me reading the story to her . This is also great for gifts. Highly recommend

From the story, to the illustrations and the music. Cant wait for the Saint Saens one to be released!!

O livro mais lindo que já comprei, Perfeito. Traz a cada página os atos do ballet da Bela Adormecida, com trechos das musicas. Ilustrações belíssimas, capa belíssima, texto perfeito. Uma jóia.

We love with my daughter all the series

This has been my daughter’s favourite since she got it a few days ago. The music is beautiful, and so are the drawings. The buttons are a bit difficult for my little girl to press (2 1/2 yrs old), but she’s proper proud of herself when it works and it has been a firm request before bedtime since she got it.. She loves the story and is especially intrigued by Carabosse, the mean fairy..