Musical Life of Gustav Mole

by Kathryn Meyrick, Patrick Macnee (Narrator), Andrew Belling (Narrator)

On the audio cassette, Patrick Macnee is Gustav. The original music is performed by talented instrumentalists and vocalists.

Genres: Music, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction

32 pages, Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Sarah Gerard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be brilliant to use when teaching music. Teaching children about names of instruments- they could even use music to accompany the book or think about sounds in the book e.g. the animals. The thing I like most about the book is the fact that it emphasises the importance of music and the role it has in life- whether helping individuals through difficult times or bringing people together. It is important that children learn about the power music has and this book would be fantastic to aid a PSHE lesson.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely story which gets across the importance of music, not just for enjoyment as a child, but all the way through life. Lots of different musical instruments are talked about in the book, as well as instruments children could make out of everyday objects. The book would be great for creating a receptive context for music lessons. It also shows children that if they love something they should continue to do it regardless of what other people think. A nice book for KS1 and lower KS2.

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second favourite children's book in the world.

[E. Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great way to introduce music to young children. I enjoyed this book a lot myself as a little boy. However, having grown up, I am very disturbed at the way this book portrays marriage. A boy mole (the protagonist) sees a girl mole performing in an opera ONCE, stalks her, proposes to her, she accepts, they get married, and live happily ever after?! What kind of message does that send to young children?

[Ann Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for all children! Great musical variety.

[Tiffany Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my oldest’s cello students shared this with us. The kids enjoyed listening to the music CD that accompanied the book and appreciated the message and how they related as little musicians.

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can hear the audiobook while seeing the book pages on youtube...I loved it! A cute and sweet story introducing children to musical instruments and genres.

[Eila Mcmillin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend the accompanying recorded book with wonderful musical interludes that help provide audio-illustrations to go with the story as it were.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was lots of fun. The book itself was cute, but with the CD, it was wonderful. There are lots of musical genres represented and many instruments used, so it was kind of like Music Appreciation for preschoolers. It was funny to me, when Gustav was attracted to another musical mole like himself, that he wrote her a song and my son thought he wanted to write a song too. (He basically copied something from the early beginner book that sits on my piano. Note to self: figure out how to teach against plagiarism to a 4 yr old). We had to pause the story at that point, but he ended up going back to it later.

[Cathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit that this book is a little bit weird. The story (especially the obsessive infatuation of Gustav with the opera-singing mole, whom Gustav falls in love with, after spotting her in the chorus of Carmen)is not typical kids' fare. It's just a bit sophisticated and funky for little kids, but still a lot of fun. The illustrations are wonderful, and I like all of the different animals represented in the story. Most of all, I enjoy the way so many musical instruments and musical styles are represented.

[Doree Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about music ever. This is a sentimental favorite, so I might not be totally objective. Still, so awesome and fun. Don't buy it without the music. It's totally worth any extra you might have to pay to get the sounds.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with CD for kids. We loved hearing the different instruments and short pieces of music to go along with the story. Kids will love learning about music with this special audiobook while reading along in the wonderfully illustrated book.

[Cws]

JEPIC-Mey

[Samira · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book. I liked the sequel A LOT better.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic book! We use it in the classroom for discussion about the Orchestra with first year students. My children LOVE it.... and it is relaxing for me too.

[Lisa Burbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book comes with audio that has the story read aloud, but also plays various instruments and styles of music. It is a great learning book. We read and listened to it for years!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucky the mole born into a musical family! I loved this quirky book for music lovers and their children.