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CLARA SCHUMANN

PIANO VIRTUOSO

Extremely well-researched and presented, this sumptuous book presents the extraordinary career of Schumann, who was more celebrated during her lifetime than her composer husband, Robert, was. Born in 1819 to a tyrannical father who used her talent to promote his own reputation as a music teacher, Clara was a musical prodigy who captivated Europe from the time she was nine years old until her death. Throughout her life she defied the 19th-century conventions that routinely subdued women. While the author sets forth Clara’s vibrant career thoroughly, the central strength of her book comes from her portrayal of Clara’s tumultuous domestic life. First, she and Robert rebelled against Clara’s father, eventually going to court for permission to marry. Later, Robert’s struggles with depression and mental illness intensified the tension under which the devoted couple lived. Yet, this mother of eight children continued to perform, compose music, and teach, helping to lay the foundations for much of today’s classical music world. The book is heavily illustrated with drawings, playbills, and photographs from Clara’s life. Anyone interested in music history or in women’s history will find a compelling story well told here. (index, not seen, b&w reproductions and photos, chronology, source notes) (Biography. 10-16)

Pub Date: April 19, 1999

ISBN: 0-395-89199-1

Page Count: 111

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999

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LAUGH-ETERIA

Florian’s seventh collection of verse is also his most uneven; though the flair for clever rhyme that consistently lights up his other books, beginning with Monster Motel (1993), occasionally shows itself—“Hello, my name is Dracula/My clothing is all blackula./I drive a Cadillacula./I am a maniacula”—too many of the entries are routine limericks, putdowns, character portraits, rhymed lists that fall flat on the ear, or quick quips: “It’s hard to be anonymous/When you’re a hippopotamus.” Florian’s language and simple, thick-lined cartoons illustrations are equally ingenuous, and he sticks to tried-and-true subjects, from dinosaurs to school lunch, but the well of inspiration seems dry; revisit his hilarious Bing Bang Boing (1994) instead. (index) (Poetry. 8-10)

Pub Date: April 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-15-202084-5

Page Count: 158

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999

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THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS EXPLORES THE SENSES

The way-off-road vehicle (The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field, 1997, etc.) tours the ears, eyes, nose, and skin when the assistant principal, Mr. Wilde, accidentally shrinks the school bus and the children on board, commandeering it to deliver a message to Ms. Frizzle. The vehicle plunges into the eye of a police officer, where the students explore the pupil, the cornea, the retina, and the optic nerve leading to the brain. Then it’s on to other senses, via the ear of a small child, the nose of a dog, and the tongue of the Friz herself. Sidebars and captions add to the blizzard of information here; with a combination of plot, details, and jokes, the trip is anything but dull. The facts will certainly entice readers to learn more about the ways living creatures perceive the world. (Picture book. 6-9)

Pub Date: March 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-590-44697-5

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999

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