Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series combines a delightful mix of full-color historical reproductions, photos, and hilarious cartoon-style illustrations that bring to life the works of renowned composers, combining poignant anecdotes with important factual information for readers (Ages 8-9).
It was very educational, the illustrations were funny, and it was very easy to understand. I read it to my younger siblings in Preschool/Kindergarten for Composer/Music study and they really enjoyed and learned from it.
This book had a lot of info. It was funny when it said he used cannons in his '1812 Overture.' How did he meet Madame von Meck? She said that she would give him a lot of money as long as they don't see each other. She had a curtain over her.
These books have been so fun to read and then listen to the music that goes along with the story! Tchaikovsky might be my favorite composer- we have been listening to his music mainly on my record player with records borrowed from a friend who is a DJ! I love the Swan Lake record so much 🩰
I read this one to my K/PreK class as we talked about Tchaikovsky. There are several books by Mike Venezia about artists and composers. I read quite a few of them this year.
As far as biographies for the young reader goes, it doesn't get any better than this. They are a great length and packed full of pertinent information. I would enjoy having this series in my personal library.