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More Stories of Favorite Operas
Book by Clyde Robert Bulla
- GenresMusic
309 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
About the author
Clyde Robert Bulla
110 books106 followersBorn to be a Writer
Almost as far back as he can remember, Clyde Robert Bulla wanted to write. Born on a farm in a small town in Missouri, Mr. Bulla's first school was a one-room country schoolhouse. One day his teacher asked each first grade student what he or she would do with a thousand dollars. Young Clyde answered that he would buy a table. His classmates laughed heartily, and his teacher was puzzled. “What I really meant,” says Mr. Bulla, “is a desk or other flat surface on which to write my stories!”
First Stories
Mr. Bulla's first piece of writing was titled, “How Planets Were Born.” The ambitious opening sentence was, “One night old Mother Moon had a million babies.” All through school, Mr. Bulla continued to write stories mostly, but plays and poetry, too. After years of gathering editor's rejection slips, Mr. Bulla sold a magazine story, then several more. Soon after, Mr. Bulla wrote a novel and a publisher accepted it.
The Difficult Years
In the excitement of publishing a novel, Mr. Bulla wrote two more books. Unfortunately, no one wanted to publish them. His luck took a turn for the worse when the publisher of his first book went bankrupt. For several years, he worked at a local weekly newspaper where he struggled with linotype, kept books, collected bills, and wrote a weekly column.
Success!
A couple of Mr. Bulla's weekly columns caught the attention of a well-known author and illustrator of children's books. She wrote to Mr. Bulla, suggesting that he try writing a children's book. He immediately sent her a manuscript for a children's book he'd written a year before. Within one week, an editor of a New York publisher read the manuscript,and it was accepted. The book was The Donkey Cart, published in 1946. Since then, Mr. Bulla has written over twenty books for children, as well as the music for several children's song books.
About The Chalk Box Kid
“When I was young,” explains Mr. Bulla, “I sometimes found it hard to cope in new surroundings, and I was apt to get off on the wrong foot. This is the story of a boy who got off on the wrong foot in a new school and how he tried to cope.” In describing the chalk garden, Mr. Bulla says, “I gave Gregory something I've always wished for: a big, blank wall that I could cover with my own drawings.”
Almost as far back as he can remember, Clyde Robert Bulla wanted to write. Born on a farm in a small town in Missouri, Mr. Bulla's first school was a one-room country schoolhouse. One day his teacher asked each first grade student what he or she would do with a thousand dollars. Young Clyde answered that he would buy a table. His classmates laughed heartily, and his teacher was puzzled. “What I really meant,” says Mr. Bulla, “is a desk or other flat surface on which to write my stories!”
First Stories
Mr. Bulla's first piece of writing was titled, “How Planets Were Born.” The ambitious opening sentence was, “One night old Mother Moon had a million babies.” All through school, Mr. Bulla continued to write stories mostly, but plays and poetry, too. After years of gathering editor's rejection slips, Mr. Bulla sold a magazine story, then several more. Soon after, Mr. Bulla wrote a novel and a publisher accepted it.
The Difficult Years
In the excitement of publishing a novel, Mr. Bulla wrote two more books. Unfortunately, no one wanted to publish them. His luck took a turn for the worse when the publisher of his first book went bankrupt. For several years, he worked at a local weekly newspaper where he struggled with linotype, kept books, collected bills, and wrote a weekly column.
Success!
A couple of Mr. Bulla's weekly columns caught the attention of a well-known author and illustrator of children's books. She wrote to Mr. Bulla, suggesting that he try writing a children's book. He immediately sent her a manuscript for a children's book he'd written a year before. Within one week, an editor of a New York publisher read the manuscript,and it was accepted. The book was The Donkey Cart, published in 1946. Since then, Mr. Bulla has written over twenty books for children, as well as the music for several children's song books.
About The Chalk Box Kid
“When I was young,” explains Mr. Bulla, “I sometimes found it hard to cope in new surroundings, and I was apt to get off on the wrong foot. This is the story of a boy who got off on the wrong foot in a new school and how he tried to cope.” In describing the chalk garden, Mr. Bulla says, “I gave Gregory something I've always wished for: a big, blank wall that I could cover with my own drawings.”
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 25, 2023
This is a great compilation of many famous operas!
Each opera begins with an illustration, one/two paragraphs about who wrote the opera, it's inspiration and when it was first performed. The opera's story is then told in concise wording so as to be only four to eight pages in length.
At the back of the book, a Cast of Characters (and what part they sing), as well as Biographical Notes on the composers is provided.
Operas included in this title:
Cosi Fan Tutte
Fidelio
Der Freischutz
Norma
The Flying Dutchman
Simon Boccanegra
Un Ballo in Maschera
La Forza del Destino
Don Carlos
Otello
Falstaff
The Bartered Bride
La Gioconda
Lakme
The Tales of Hoffmann
Samson and Delilah
Boris Godunoff
Hansel and Gretel
Manon Lescaut
Andrea Chenier
Louise
Pellets and Melisande
Ages: 14+
🎶 Want to see some of my music book favorites? Watch my little reel!
Content Considerations: smoking and drinking are throughout, as well as love triangles, affairs (even with married people), murders, and suicides (think Romeo and Juliet). No affair/love scenes are described. Several operas have spells, witches, sorcerers, fortune tellers, various gods and goddesses, the devil and an evil spirit.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
I have an Instagram account that’s pretty bookishly unique too!
Each opera begins with an illustration, one/two paragraphs about who wrote the opera, it's inspiration and when it was first performed. The opera's story is then told in concise wording so as to be only four to eight pages in length.
At the back of the book, a Cast of Characters (and what part they sing), as well as Biographical Notes on the composers is provided.
Operas included in this title:
Cosi Fan Tutte
Fidelio
Der Freischutz
Norma
The Flying Dutchman
Simon Boccanegra
Un Ballo in Maschera
La Forza del Destino
Don Carlos
Otello
Falstaff
The Bartered Bride
La Gioconda
Lakme
The Tales of Hoffmann
Samson and Delilah
Boris Godunoff
Hansel and Gretel
Manon Lescaut
Andrea Chenier
Louise
Pellets and Melisande
Ages: 14+
🎶 Want to see some of my music book favorites? Watch my little reel!
Content Considerations: smoking and drinking are throughout, as well as love triangles, affairs (even with married people), murders, and suicides (think Romeo and Juliet). No affair/love scenes are described. Several operas have spells, witches, sorcerers, fortune tellers, various gods and goddesses, the devil and an evil spirit.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.
I have an Instagram account that’s pretty bookishly unique too!
November 2, 2026
Not gonna lie, More Stories of Favorite Operas is the first memoir in a while that made me laugh out loud at a doctor's office. Clyde Robert Bulla writes about growing up in a house with way too many siblings and exactly one bathroom, and the story about the Thanksgiving where the oven died and dinner turned into a drive-through run is chaos at its finest. A few chapters wander off and lose their point. Who this is for: readers who love funny, big-family stories. Who should pass: anybody who wants a polished, serious memoir.
October 30, 2026
Quick verdict on More Stories of Favorite Operas: loud, funny, and a bit exhausting. What worked: Clyde Robert Bulla never lets the energy dip. What didn't: I needed a break by the halfway mark and the book didn't offer one. Recommend for high-energy readers, skip if you need room to breathe.
May 23, 2008
This book is written for a young adult reading level, and is good for that. It's light reading, but reading it will give anyone a good overview of operas. It's actually just "Stories of Favorite Operas" that I have.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews