88 Instruments

by Chris Barton, Louis Thomas (Illustrator)

"A little boy can't choose which instrument to play, so he decides to try them all"--

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Humor, Art

32 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2016

About the author

I'm the author of picture books including WE MATCH! (2025), bestseller SHARK VS. TRAIN, Sibert Honor-winning THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS, and WHOOSH! LONNIE JOHNSON'S SUPER-SOAKING STREAM OF INVENTIONS, which has been celebrated on 21 state reading lists.

Other well-known titles of mine include 88 INSTRUMENTS, HOW TO MAKE A BOOK (ABOUT MY DOG), FIRE TRUCK VS. DRAGON, DAZZLE SHIPS, THE AMAZING AGE OF JOHN ROY LYNCH, and WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT?

My newest books include GLITTER EVERYWHERE! WHERE IT CAME FROM, WHERE IT'S FOUND & WHERE IT'S GOING (one of National Public Radio's "Books We Love" for 2023) and MOVING FORWARD: FROM SPACE-AGE RIDES TO CIVIL RIGHTS SIT-INS WITH AIRMAN ALTON YATES (a School Library Journal Best Book of 2022).

I visit schools by the score and also love speaking to professional gatherings of librarians, educators, and fellow writers.

I'm married to middle-grade/YA novelist Jennifer Ziegler (WORSER, HOW NOT TO BE POPULAR). Jennifer and I have four adult children and one dog, and we co-host the children’s literature video series “This One’s Dedicated to…” in which we talk with other authors and illustrators about the dedications they’ve written for their books.

Jennifer and I live in Austin, where I serve as vice president of the Texas Institute of Letters, a 501(c)(3) non-profit honor society founded in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and to recognize distinctive literary achievement.

For more information about me, please visit www.chrisbarton.info or linktr.ee/bartography.

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does a boy choose what instrument to learn when he has 88 to choose from? Try them all until he finds just the right one. The word play is so much fun. Squonkiest, twangiest, bashiest....so many words to describe the instruments he was experimenting with. Also, the message is clear that you just have to take it slow and learn a little at a time to master an instrument.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

The exploration of the instruments and their sounds is short and sweet to entice and enthrall even the young story listeners. And the book makes a fun connection that parents might not be privy to.

Ages: 3 - 7

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy goes into a music store with 88 different instruments and is told by his parents that he can only choose one. How on earth will he choose from so many? He'll just have to try each one.

...and based on the one he chooses might explain my affection for this book. :)

I also loved the rhythm and the word play of the text. Would be a fun read aloud.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: 88! That's how many pounding, surrounding, astounding-mound-of-sounding instruments are in this shop. But...I can take lessons on only one. Not 75, or 64, or 33, or 12. "One," says Dad. "For now," says Mom. "Your pick!" says Dad. "Within reason," says Mom. How am I supposed to pick just one? Do I pick the squeeziest? The wheeziest?

Premise/plot: The narrator of 88 Instruments is having a tough time deciding on ONE instrument from the music shop. What instrument should he learn to play first? One thing is for certain, he is going to look at ALL of his options and not just pick the first thing he sees.

My thoughts: I loved this one. I loved the descriptive language. I loved the dialogue. It worked really well, in my opinion. I loved the passion and enthusiasm. Which technically I suppose you'd call the narrative voice. I thought Barton did great at capturing that magic moment.

plink! It's so clear. PLUNK. So right. PLUNNNNNNNNK! So right for me. I'm going to learn the plinkiest...the plunkiest...and, here to there, the spunkiest--the PIANO!

The illustrations are nearly (but not quite) as expressive as the text.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A child goes with his parents to the music store to pick his first instrument. At first, he's overwhelmed by all the possibilities, but in the end he plays the right chord (just a little musical humor!) with his choice of instrument. This book has beautiful watercolors illustrations.

Reviewed by Debbie Hersh, Circulation, Vernon Area Public Library

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a boy is faced with choosing only one instrument to play, it's a daunting task, especially in a shop where there are 88 instruments to choose from. The story takes little readers through the choices by having the main character play (or try to play) each, with appropriate accompanying expressions on his parents' faces. Does he go loud? Does he go small and simple? Should he tweet, slide or bang? The illustrations do a 'bang up' job of showcasing his dilemma. When he makes his choice, it seems like a perfect one. Youngsters will laugh along as the book is read. It's a great option for story hour or as an introduction to a music or singing session.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute picture book that shares one boy's difficult time trying to choose a musical instrument to play. This would be a fun book to share with my students, since fourth and fifth grade is when they start to participate in instrumental music. This is the time of year when students are trying to decide what instrument to play.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story full of superlatives that will make for a good read aloud.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were a piano teacher, I would give a copy of this to each of my new young students who are K-2nd. A great book to celebrate learning how to play the piano at a young age.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave this one to my music teacher and she said she really liked reading to her classes.

[Mfbirkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always used Eve Merriam's "The Philharmonic Gets Dressed" for introducing musical instruments to children. Barton's book with its simple text and Thomas's illustrations deals with a little boy who cannot decide which instrument to play. He considers brass, strings, piano and percussion as he makes his choice. Finally, he elects to try them all.

While the names of each instrument are not given in the narrative, they can be pointed out by a knowledgeable reader when the book is shared with children. The vocabulary is simple enough to be understood and read by early readers. Music teachers and parents will find this selection useful for teaching children about families of instruments as they begin to explore kinds of music-makers
available to them.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barton's book celebrates musical instruments but is also a metaphor for the importance of making the right choice. A young boy must decide which of the 88 instruments he wants to to take lessons to learn. The reader sees the difficulty of the choice but the importance of ultimately making the right choice. The book has a great opening sentence with a wonderful use of assonance. The book is also loaded with superlatives providing models for writers. The book can certainly be positioned for many purposes in a classroom (or just enjoyed for its own sake.)

[Elaine Bearden · Rating 5 out of 5]

k-2
This is a pretty clever way to talk about instruments without using the actual names of the instruments, which makes them sound technical straight away. Instead this author focuses on the sounds they make. A fun breezy story with a problem of how to choose just one instrument out of the 88 in the store. What I like is after that problem is solved, there is another one very near the end, which adds an extra dimension to the story. The art is light and breezy too with warm colors. I think this would be a fun read-aloud. Also has counting in it.

[Jim Sibigtroth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little picture book showing a variety of musical instruments. A boy’s parents take him to a music store to select ONE instrument to get lessons. He tries a lot and finally notices the piano and loves the sounds. But there are a lot of keys to learn. How many? Coincidentally there are 88.
For me, there is also a local tie-in...the author Chris Barton lives in Austin, Texas near my home and he likes Rhapsody in Blue.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great descriptions of the sounds and feelings of different instruments as a boy tries to choose which one to learn before deciding on the piano. Loved the illustrations of him trying out different ones as well.

The numbers/counting here (12, 33, 64, 75, 88) feel like they don't have a lot of meaning except for the 88, which comes from the piano, but I could be missing something. And I know kid counting can be chaos, but usually not quite like this.

[Madison Schoenlaub · Rating 4 out of 5]

This type of book can invite curiosity to learn more about this topic, maybe by playing the sound with each instrument to interest them or setting up a workshop afterward to allow them to explore these sounds and feelings. The typography in the book also shows what the author is imitating the sounds to be, as the boy is testing the instruments. It is essential to draw the children's attention to the words and have them relate them to the image.

[Thebruce1314 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me all of about - literally, no exaggeration - 30 seconds to read. It is a very simple story, but even so it was cute and I hope that it might encourage my son to practice a little bit more. It uses fun words to describe the sounds of the instruments, and it encourages the right instrument for the best grounding in music.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, about a child choosing an instrument to learn to play, then feeling intimidated by all the keys on the piano (which is what he decides to learn), but realizing, he just has to learn one key at a time, not all 88 at once.

[Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the idea of this book but felt like it could have been developed a little more. More instruments, more rhythm in the language, etc. And why not name some of the instruments so kids can get interested? I read this as a read-along at facebook.com/readwithmschandra

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids are 3 and 5. I'll be starting them with early piano lessons this fall and we'll go at their own determined pace. This book was a great introduction to all the different instruments and I love that the boy picks the piano.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pictures and lyrics

This book has catchy lyrics and great pictures. I would recommend it for kids and parents in elementary school. It is fun to learn about all music instruments.

[RWaggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Great wordplay and imagination in this book about choosing an instrument to learn. I take off half a star because the illustration of the tuba is pretty terrible. Looking forward to sharing with my student!

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy examines a plethora of instruments in a music shop before choosing the one instrument he will learn. It’s a fun book with silly adjectives and creative illustrations. Elliot liked it!

* library book; read at 2 years old

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A child is in a musical instrument store trying to decide which one (only one!) they get to pick.

They go through all the attractive features of the various instruments before deciding on the piano.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful combination of superlatives and onomatopoeia, this lots of fun to read aloud. I also appreciate the message that it takes time to find your true passion and that the parents allow him the time to explore a variety of instruments before he settles on the one that resonates for him.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a literacy project and fell in love with it! I plan on buying my own copy soon. I especially found the little twist at the end adorable.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This makes me want to play piano, says Zavier. Perfect!

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book about finding your perfect instrument. More musically inclined parents/kids will probably get more out of it than I did.

[Margaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

For any child who has ever learned an instrument (against her will or otherwise). What instrument will this kid choose???

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see music teachers using this onomatopoetic romp.