The Orchestra Pit

by Johanna Wright

When a slightly befuddled but surprisingly endearing snake wanders into the wrong pit—the orchestra pit—peculiar things start to happen. A well-meaning snake interacts with the orchestral instruments, scares the musicians and conductor, and causes general chaos in this sweet and funny book by Johanna Wright, author of Bandits and Bunnies on Ice.

A Neal Porter Book

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2014

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more that I did. The story idea is great and sheds a positive spin on snakes however the story is missing something. We start with the snake in a pit but we don't know how the snake came to be in the pit. The snake then explores the different instruments in an orchestra. Then decides he like his "snake" pit better. More information would have been helpful in this get to know the orchestra book.

[Paper Privateer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A snake is lost. This snake is very sure that it’s in the wrong pit, because instead of a snake pit, it’s found its way into the orchestra pit. The snake explores the orchestra pit for a while, discovering that trumpets are loud, tubs are roomy, and trombones are long. The snake is unaware of what is spooking the orchestra members and keeps looking at the different kinds of instruments. Soon the orchestra begins playing and the snake leaves the wrong pit and finally makes it into the right one.

This book is an excellent way to introduce children to a few animals as well as the main instruments of an orchestra. Parts of the story seem to be missing, like how the snake came to be lost in the orchestra pit or why it decides that the snake pit is much better, but the story is amusing and simple enough to accomplish its teaching purposes. This book is a playful introduction to how snakes can be friendly and to the musical world.

[Seok Hyeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was exciting that the book start story with 'a snake wanders into the wrong pit-orchestra pit- instead of snake pit'. The snake explores orchestra pit, learns about instruments, and scares the musicians and conductor. It was impressive that the snake's shape is changed according to the instruments shape, to stand out the instruments. This book is a good way to teach young children about instruments.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great voice and adorable humor which teaches about the instruments in an orchestra at the same time. The text is sparse when it needs to be, letting the visuals add to the narrative. The plot is thin and the ending just barely above predictable, but well worth reading and sharing anyway for its content. Lots of fun

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A confused snake wanders into an orchestra pit, and chaos follows. We get an introduction to various instruments, and that's about it. The artwork is nothing to write home about. Sorry, but this one left me unimpressed.

[Jordan Mingus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that the story is missing some important parts. However, I feel like the illustrations and the information about instruments are the best part of this book. I also liked the humor demonstrated within the writing and pictures.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/2/19 Read with Julia

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good intro book for an instrumental music teacher in elementary school.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a fear of snakes so even a make believe snake does not appeal to me. Yet, this book was fun and the illustrations were, too. Johanna was the illustrator as well as the author.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Snake finds himself in the wrong pit, but soon discovers that animals and instruments aren't that dissimilar after all.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A snake gets into the wrong pit and discovers the wonderful world of orchestra. This would be a fun read to a younger class just learning about classical music.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and engaging for my 2 year old.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

When an unsuspecting snake finds his way into the zoo's orchestra pit by mistake, he is intrigued by all the musical instruments, but especially pleased to return home.

The cartoonish green snake who is the star of the story has a lot of personality for a character who can only make facial expressions with his eyes and a tiny slip of a tongue. The curves and coils of his body are arranged differently on every page, so the reader has the constant sense that he is in motion, as he pokes his way in and out of tubas, trombones, and French horns. The musicians and their instruments are drawn somewhat more crudely, so there is little chance that kids could learn to identify them from this book, which is a disappointment.

This would make a decent read-aloud, even though the text is not that remarkable. While it might fall flat on its own, it could be the third book that fleshes out a music-themed or snake-themed story time. (There are truly never enough snake books.) Kids who are already familiar with the names of musical instruments can interact with the book by identifying them by name, and the section where the snake imagines each instrument's sound as that of an animal is likely to get some laughs from preschoolers or kindergartners.

A better book for introducing instruments and the sounds they make is Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss. Other snake books of similar length that might work nicely for a story time along with this one are Hide and Snake by Keith Baker and I Need a Snake by Lynne Jonell. This book also fits into the category of "stories about animals who venture out of the zoo" along with A Sick Day for Amos McGee and May I Bring a Friend?

[Erik Mueller]

Wright, J. (2014). The orchestra pit. New York, New York: Roaring Book Press.


Summary:
When a snake at the zoo takes a break from his normal zoo duties in the snake pit, he stumbles into a pit of another kind – the orchestra pit! Here the snake gets himself into mischief while investigating all of the different types of instruments found in the orchestra, but soon the zookeeper is called to catch the snake! The snake needs to think quickly or risk getting caught in the zookeeper’s net!

Activity:
In the story, the snake describes the brass section as sounding like an elephant. Go back through the story and write down each instrument that the snake mentions in the orchestra pit. Then listen as your teacher plays an example of each instrument from the speakers, and illustrate a chart to show what kind of animal each instrument sounds like to you.
 

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who knows how it happens, but a friendly snake ends up wandering into the orchestra pit instead of the snake pit. As the reptile investigates various instruments, it causes quite a stir among the musicians. I especially liked how the snake is "quite attached to the bass" (unpaged) and curls around the instrument, but once he hides an compares the musical sounds he is hearing to sounds from nature, my interest started to flag. The lively acrylic illustrations trace the snake's adventures and near the end reveal just how he could manage to get the two pits confused because of their proximity. The story is a bit strange, but the snake is simply adorable. We need more picture books that depict snakes in a positive light and debunk the myths that many individuals believe about them.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this tale of a snake in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps I'm sold by the colorful, interesting, detailed illustrations, or the attention paid to each musical instrument. Perhaps I love the facial expressions of all the animals and people in our story. Mainly, I just love the snake itself, how it tells the french horn "Bonjour", is charmed by the oboe, and accidentally swallows the bass. This book is an ode to music, mistakes, and finding your way back home. Love it!

[Bobbi Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Orchestra Pit
Rate: 5
I loved the concept of this book in learning they instruments in an orchestra. I though it was also really cute that the snake related them to the animals in the zoo. The illustrations were perfect for kids to relate to and look at. I also thought the writer did a good job of putting the words all around the page and you had the chance to explore all the little details the illustrator had put in.

[Whitney Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I added this to my storytime shelf because it could be used for a musical storytime, I suppose.

There are some great elements and some less than great elements of this book. Wonderful illustrations, labeling of instruments and then comparing them to sounds animals make; all great things. The less than wonderful things? It was a little too "busy" for me.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A green snake with white spots explores the pit--the orchestra pit--and learns a little about the brass, wind, string, and percussion sections. All ends well when he finds the correct pit! I am always grateful when information about the media used is provided! From the copyright page: "Art for this book was created using acrylic paint on canvas and black India ink for the outlines."

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually I love picture books about music. So, I probably would have loved this one, too, if it had actually been about music. It does introduce some musical instruments, but that's it -- nothing really about the instruments sound or how the instruments evoke emotion. And why is an orchestra pit about forty feet away from a snake pit, anyway?

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A snake explores an orchestra pit before finding his home pit. Nice introduction to the different sections of an orchestra and imagery certain instrument sounds evoke.

Acrylic paint and ink illustrations. PreK-2.

[Elaine Bearden · Rating 5 out of 5]

PreS-g2
Okay, so this book I think is hysterical. It is about a snake who wanders into an orchestra pit instead of a snake pit. I suppose you could call this a one-joke book. But it also very cleverly introduces all of the intruments. I just love it. Totally playful.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn't very long, but it's audience would most likely be kindergarten and older or young music lovers.. It gives acknowledgement to most instruments fond in an orchestra, using a snake as it explores the pit. Colorful illustrations

[Sarah A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun gentle book exploring some music instruments and theater terms as a snake finds it's way into the orchestra pit. My daughter loved it on several readings and would give it 5 stars. I found it fun but basic and think it's a 3 star.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What could have been a charming and educational story about both snakes and instruments... well, it left my children confused and bewildered. Despite having adorable illustrations, the story lacked cohesion and detail, which is really too bad.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

a snake escapes from the zoo and visits an orchestra pit. Many instruments are introduced. (I feel this book would be better with a CD so that the instrument could be heard and seen.)

The snake is cute.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book about a snake that wanders into an orchestra pit. Young readers will giggle at the silly snake as he tries out the different instruments and scares everyone. The illustrations are funny, too.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

SSSlinky ssssly humor with an introduction to instruments sssslipped in.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to like this book more than I did. I like the adventure, but wish in the end it had been more informative.