Picture Books for Music Lovers

A stunning new picture book from beloved icon Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, that introduces readers to the remarkable story of the development of written music, and speaks to the beauty of music and the power of perseverance. Featuring the illustrated lyrics to “Do-Re-Mi” and an author’s note about Julie Andrews’s connection to the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein song!

Centuries ago, a young Italian monk named Guido longed to find a way to write and teach music. Eventually, he created the musical scale, using the words Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do…one syllable for each note. Though the other monks thought it was a waste of time, Guido’s music couldn’t be silenced. His discovery remains the foundation for learning music today, and inspired the famous song “Do-Re-Mi,” which Julie Andrews sang in the beloved movie The Sound of Music.

Featuring the illustrated lyrics to “Do-Re-Mi” and an author’s note about Julie Andrews’s connection to the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein song!

The music turned into color and light and filled the room.
 
A young boy remembers quietly watching his father read the paper and sip a cup of coffee. He remembers his sweet momma, who lovingly pressed away the wrinkles on his clothes. Then one day, his father is gone and his momma falls ill. But through his love of music he feels his father’s warm hugs and his mother’s kisses. He learns to relax, shine, and dream as the music fills his soul.

From four-time Caldecott honoree Bryan Collier comes a moving and gorgeously illustrated exploration of healing the soul through music

In pre-World War II Vienna, Lisa Jura was a musical prodigy who dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. But when enemy forces threatened the city—particularly the Jewish people that lived there—Lisa’s parents were forced to make a difficult decision. They chose to send Lisa to London for safety through the Kindertransport—a rescue effort that relocated Jewish children. As Lisa yearned to be reunited with her family while living in a home for refugee children on Willesden Lane, her music became a beacon of hope for those around her.

The Magic School Bus meets The Way Things Work in this funny guide to the science behind sound, acoustics, and music that features approachable explanations, simple diagrams, and plenty of kid-friendly humor.

The Invention Hunters travel the globe in their flying museum collecting the world’s greatest inventions! This time, they’ve landed at a music store, and these silly scientists think they’ve collected incredible specimens of trampolines, birdhouses, eyeballs, and even a unicorn horn. But what they really discover—with a kid as their guide—is how musical instruments, microphones, and records produce sound.

This unique baby book sings with Native cultural detail, while striking a universal chord in its celebration of the blossoming of love that comes with expecting and welcoming a new baby—with art by New York Times bestselling illustrator and Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade
 

An enchanting, true story of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Bob Dylan, and his mentor, Woody Guthrie.

“Hey hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song…”

When Bob finished, Woody’s face lit up like the sun.

Bob Dylan is a musical icon, an American legend, and, quite simply, a poet. But before he became Bob Dylan, he was Bob Zimmerman, a kid from rural Minnesota.

This lyrical and gorgeously illustrated picture book biography follows Bob as he renames himself after his favorite poet, Dylan Thomas, and leaves his mining town to pursue his love of music in New York City. There, he meets his folk music hero and future mentor, Woody Guthrie, changing his life forever.

Interwoven with soldiers’ letters and journal entries, this is a true story of duty and heartbreak, of loyalty and enemies, and of the uniting power of music.

Amid the fearsome battles of the Civil War, both Union and Confederate soldiers were urged onward by song.

There were songs to wake them up and songs to call them to bed,
Songs to ready them for battle and to signal their retreat,
Songs to tell them that their side was right, and the other wrong . . .

And there was one song that reminded them all of what they hoped to return to after the war.

Defeated in the battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, the Union soldiers retreated across the river. There, a new battle emerged as both armies volleyed competing songs back and forth. With the Christmas season upon them, however, Federals and Confederates longed for the same thing. As the notes of “Home, Sweet Home” rose up from both sides, they found common ground for one night.

A rare and intimate look into the childhood of the legendary Keith Richards through this poignant and inspiring story that is lovingly illustrated with Theodora Richards’s exquisite pen-and-ink collages.
 
Long before there was a band, there was a boy: a young Keith Richards, who was introduced to the joy of music through his beloved granddad, Theodore Augustus Dupree, affectionately known as “Gus,” who was in a jazz big band and is the namesake of Keith’s daughter, Theodora Dupree Richards. This unique autobiographical picture book honors the special bond between a grandfather and grandson and celebrates the artistic talents of the Richards family through the generations.