Bang-Campbell, Monika. Little Rat Makes Music. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.
ISBN 9780152053055 Ages 6-9. Illustrated by Molly Bang. One of the Little Rat series. Chapter book, ages 6-9. Little Rat plays violin but hates to practice. Hardcover.
Little Rat is surrounded by all types of music. Her father plays many instruments; her mother loves to sing; and they both like to take Little Rat to concerts. While Little Rat enjoys all the music, it is the violin that, “makes her eyes grow wide.” Little Rat starts taking lessons and dreams of “the glorious sounds that would float from her violin,” only to create the sound of an “angry seagull.” This is the result of her liking lessons, but not liking to practice. She becomes frustrated when she isn’t playing like one of the violinists at the concerts she has attended. With the encouragement of her parents, support from her tutor, and the ingenuity of her teacher, Little Rat learns her frustration can be overcome with determination, patience, effort, and of course, practice. With those items, and her dreams, Little Rat does indeed learn to make beautiful music.
Little Rat Makes Music, the third book in the Little Rat series, is set up in small, easy to read chapters. It takes the reader through the steps anyone must go through when learning something new, including their downfalls, triumphs, and feelings throughout the journey. The pacing of the story is slow at times; however, Bang-Campbell interrupts the dullness with kid-friendly humor, and keeps the story moving along once again. Molly Bang, the illustrator of three Caldecott Honor books, creates colorful watercolor-and-gouache illustrations throughout the pages that reinforce the characters’ thoughts and actions, and adds interest to the book. The emphasis on the life skills of effort and patience throughout the book make it an asset to any elementary library or music classroom. What a great read for a music teacher to read to newbie instrumentalists!
Little Rat Makes Music gets four stars for emphasizing practice, effort, and patience, while identifying with a child’s dream and showing the reader the phases of achieving that dream.
Reviewed by Kimberly DeNaples, Elementary Librarian, Egg Harbor Township, NJ
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