Simeon's Gift

by Julie Andrews Edwards, Emma Walton Hamilton, Gennady Spirin (Illustrator)

Embarking on a quest to find his muse, Simeon, a modest Renaissance musician, encounters a vast array of rhythms and harmonies that cause him to return home and look inside himself for inspiration. Reprint.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Music, Fiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews Edwards, DBE is an award-winning English actress, singer, author and cultural icon. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honours. Andrews rose to prominence after starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, as well as musical films like Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story, but somehow it didn't really grab me. It seemed a bit long and several of the words will be beyond young readers (cacophony, for example). Not that there is anything wrong with introducing new vocab, but it does impede the telling if there is too much. The illustrations, while lovely representations of Renaissance art, were a bit repetative at times (i.e., using the same borders for several pages) and not especially "warm." The CD is a nice touch, though I wasn't really WOWED--the piano music in the background is just okay and while it's always nice to hear Julie Andrew's voice (sounds like you're hearing a tale from your very proper British grandma!) she takes a bit long in the telling (perhaps why I found the story over-long).

[Cathinca Sprundel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely fairytalelike story about a musician who finds his own voice, with beautifull, Renaissance like pictures.

[Dagmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicht die Geschichte, sondern die Illustrationen sind herausragend. Deshalb drei und fünf Sterne, was im Durchschnitt vier macht.

Die Geschichte ist sehr konventionell: ein Jüngling, der auszieht sich selbst und das Glück zu finden, damit er um die Hand seiner geliebten Prinzessin anhalten darf. Die natürlich auf ihn gewartet hat. Aber die Illustrationen! So schön.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

We take music for granted these days. It's so accessible that kids can't even imagine a world without it. With this story, JAE turns the clock back a good many years, to a time when there was music only if someone sang or played an instrument. These musicians had to learn from someone, and few villages had teachers. Here, we have the story of a young man who is tuned to the world of sound, and he sets off to discover inspiration.

The art fits the story, but I'd like to brighten it a tad; it all has a gray tone.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is gorgeous. So gorgeous in fact that immediately after I finished reading/listening to it, I had to go on Amazon and order my own copy. I love both the story and the illustrations are breathtaking. I also really appreciated the cd contained in the book that allowed me the privilege of hearing Julie Andrews read her sweet story. This quote from the book is precious and really gives you a sense of the beauty, "Simeon forgot the lesson he had learned as a humble musician: that a true and brave heart can find a way if it will only trust in all the wonders under God's canopy".

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful. I would expect no less from Julie Andrews.

The artwork is impeccable.

Simeon, a lute player, goes out in search of knowledge of great music, feeling that he is undeserving of love due to his simplicity of life and talent. He travels to a city where the noise and busyness only cloud his mind. He realizes he must return to the woman he loves. Along the way home Simeon is inspired by the sounds of nature. It is God’s music of creation that truly awakens his soul, not the cacophony of the sounds of man.

How beautiful is that?

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long, long ago in a faraway place Simeon, a poor lad goes off to find a worthy gift to bring back to his princess. In finding everything, he loses what he has and yet comes back with the finest gift of all! And learns “that a true and brave heart can find a way, if it will only trust in all the wonders under God’s canopy.” Julie Andrew’s books are outstanding and this one is a forever keeper – to be kept always! It come’s with a CD, Julie reading!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this title while looking at another collection by Julie Andrews. All I can say, is what a beautifully illustrated gem of a story.

A slightly longer story than the average picture book, but great as a gift for older kids or an adult in a transitional stage of life.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am I the only one who took one look at the cover and thought that Simeon was...well...having a bit too much fun being all alone on that boat??? I mean, how did the publisher AND editor not catch that? It's a children's book!!!!!

[Jasmine Shadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet children's story. Illustrations colorful.

[Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gift from Harper's grandmother

[Tabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love a Julie Andrews book read by the author--and what a lovely story to boot!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly I gave this book five stars because of the amazing Renaissance-like illustrations, that were so detailed and absolutely gorgeous. Definitely going to have to find more books illustrated by Gennady Spirin. The book comes with an audio CD of actress/singer Julie Andrews Edwards performing the book, which was created by her daughter Emma and herself.

The story is about a young lute-playing minstrel named Simeon who is in love with a noble lady named Sorrel. He thinks his meager income won't be enough for his girl so he sets off to gain more experience so he can write a song worthy of her. He sees and hears many wonderful things including great cities, soldiers, an abbey choir, and all manner of instruments. His head is so confused that he cannot really write his song properly, so he leaves the city and heads back home. On the way, he befriends a bird, fish and doe. When he arrives back home, his beloved is overjoyed at his return and his newfound friend, and suddenly his song pops back into his head fully completed and Sorrel loves it. He goes on to write many more. Recommended for ages 8+, 5 stars.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book a lot. The illustrations are beautiful and the narrative is written by Julie Andrews Edwards and her daughter. So we sat down to listen to the CD narrated by Dame Julie and followed along with the book. The narrative was dramatically read and the story was inspirational, encouraging the reader to find the art and music within ourselves and be true to our own nature. The illustrations are reminiscent of classic Rennaissance artwork. So why didn't we adore it? It seemed to drag a bit in places, and there were so many times during the story that I was kept saying to myself, "Come on, Julie, get on with it already!" So am I just an impatient American, or was the story lenghtened for no real reason? Probably a bit of both, I'm afraid. Still, it was a decent story and I'm sure I will be tempted to read more by this mother-daughter pair in the future.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reaqlly liked to read this book. It's about the magic of love and how it ca influence us in our search for happiness/to bring happiness to the people we truely love. It is also a great book if you're music-lover because it teaches children that music is the expression of life and love. I really liked it and wood definitely recommend it to all grown-ups/children who love music. And the illustrations are awesome too!! Very artistic.

[Holly Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise and story are sweet and gentle...and it's a great story. But I don't know that it's one to grab a child's attention. I saw it performed by Julie Andrews and a small cast of four at a concert she did last year. The story just seems a bit long for kids with some vocabulary that may be over the top. But overall, a wonderful book!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why cannot even some of the greatest illustrators bother to look at musicians to learn how they hold instruments when playing? Or to examine instruments so they can accurately depict them? The final image in this book shows Simeon "playing" a "flute" that is simply an impossibility.

The illustrations are, as usual, glorious. The story is a little trite, but it suffices.

[Mary Dunkap]

Simeon's Gift is first totally charming. I lived the way it encourages people to use a gift they have been given but not know how to use it, go out and learn how their gift is speacial and then use it to it's full potential.

[Shawn Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations and listening to Julie Andrews read the accompanying CD is sweet. The story is a little awkward, and my students were irritated by some inconsistencies in plot development, which I found quite interesting!

[polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous and inspiring. The prose is laborious; I appreciate the use of larger words for a young audience and approve of rich language, but the book as a whole could have benefited greatly from some sharp editing.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely idea, gorgeous illustration and interesting story. The Julie Andrews narration is, of course, beautiful. The story is not quite as compelling as I had hoped but the moral is nice. The book is worth every cent just for the high art in the illustration.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is cute, but it's really too long for a picture book. There's so much text on each page, that I can't imagine a young child would actually sit still for the story.

[Anajoy-rusticgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wording in the story is beautiful and the illustrations are magnificent (I always love Gennady Spirin's illustrations.) I also really love the audio version.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cute story...but if I remember right, we didn't care much for the ending.