Rondo in C

by Paul Fleischman, Janet Wentworth (Illustrator)

As a young piano student plays Beethoven's Rondo in C at her recital, each member of the audience is stirred by memories.

Genres: Picture Books, Music

29 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California. The son of well-known children's novelist Sid Fleischman, Paul was in the unique position of having his famous father's books read out loud to him by the author as they were being written. This experience continued throughout his childhood.
Paul followed in his father's footsteps as an author of books for young readers, and in 1982 he released the book "Graven Images", which was awarded a Newbery Honor citation.
In 1988, Paul Fleischman came out with "Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices", an unusually unique collection of poetry from the perspective of insects. This book was awarded the 1989 John Newbery Medal. Factoring in Sid Fleischman's win of the John Newbery Medal in 1987 for his book "The Whipping Boy", Paul and Sid Fleischman became to this day the only father and son authors to both win the John Newbery Medal.

Reviews

[Gail Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational!
I’ll be sharing this book with all my piano students, as an assignment, while they study Beethoven’s Rondo in C.
Curiously, what do other readers decide is their “image” when listening to the beautiful piano piece.

[Hannah Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly a living book, but this picture book is a good way to introduce Beethoven’s Rondo in C, piano music, and how people connect music, memories, and emotions.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, evocative story of the way each member of an audience can interpret/relate to music being played.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Music is powerful. This book shows how music can take you to other places and memories. A young girl plays "Rhondo in C" at a recital. The listeners reflect on the scenes the music brings. Good, uplifting music can be as powerful as crazy disruptive music. I always read this to my piano students.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of music evoking memories, but it felt like there was something missing from the story. Almost like Fleischman was counting on the illustrations to carry the story and they didn't.