The Enchanted Symphony
Abrams Kids - 2023
Written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton
Illustrated by Elly MacKay
Interview with NPR!
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When a lively village is beset by a mysterious fog, the town turns dull and silent; melancholy neighbors stop visiting each other and even going outside. Until one day, when a boy’s simple melody strikes a chord, reminding everyone of what matters most—even in the darkest of times.
Actor Andrews and her daughter Walton Hamilton pay tribute to the power of music. MacKay places her gracefully posed, diverse figures in luminously hued scenes of narrow streets and neatly kept buildings perched on a steep hill and threaded with musical staves. Sweet art. - Kirkus Reviews
"Music drives away a depressive fog in this inventively illustrated fable." - Publishers Weekly
Activity - An Imaginary Garden
I love listening to music and just letting my pencil wander. I sometimes do this with groups of children too, asking them to draw or paint and respond to the music. I was working with groups of Grade 1s and Kindergarteners and came up with this simple activity. After reading The Enchanted Symphony, I put on some classical music and showed them how diverse different plant forms could be. I then gave them a piece of colourful paper with a little pot cut out in a contrasting paper and asked them to just freely let a plant grow from their imagination. The results were so beautiful and unique and individual to the child. Together, all the flower pots formed a paper garden. So pretty and they were so proud. To prepare for the activity I cut coloured paper lengthwise in half and then cut out one flower pot shape as a guide that I used with a stack of scraps and cut through several layers. I glued the pots on and then gave the kids crayons.
*I believe we listened to The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns (a fun one for children).
