The Story Orchestra: The Planets: Press the note to hear Holst’s music (8)
£13.99£16.99 (-18%)
Discover the spellbinding magic of The Planets in this musical reimagining of one of Holst’s most famous suites.Push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Holst’s score.
This tale is about a brother and sister who adventure deep into our solar system. Our story begins one night as Helen and Tim get ready for bed in their new space rocket bunk beds… but sleep will have to wait as they magically blast up, up, up into the glittering night sky, leaving planet Earth far below them.
Helen and Tim journey here, there and everywhere through our majestic solar system. They soar past the cold rocky surface of Mars as it rises into towering peaks and plunges into deep canyons and glide through a bumpy asteroid belt made of icy rocks. They blast deeper into our solar system, exploring the dazzling stars and astounding planets along the way.
But now it really is time to head home! As the rocket speeds towards Earth, Tim and Helen watch the sun rise over their planet.
As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the score. Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the sounds, encouraging interactive learning and introducing children to this beautiful piece of music.
At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Gustav Holst, with details about his composition of The Planets. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms.
The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet, opera and program music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores.
Also available from the Story Orchestra series: Four Seasons in One Day, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Carnival of the Animals, The Magic Flute, In the Hall of the Mountain King and I Can Play (vol 1).
Manufacturer’s note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require a firm push in exact location to work, which may be hard for young children. All sound clips are 10 seconds long.
The perfect primer to introduce children to classical music.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Frances Lincoln Children's Books (9 Nov. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 24 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0711289166 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0711289161 |
| Reading age | 5 – 8 years |
| Dimensions | 26.67 x 1.52 x 30.73 cm |
by Intelligent555
The story is really weak. Seems to be written by someone with no knowledge of children. The first page is all about duvets and curtains. Story Orchestra are nice books but this one lacks attention to detail.
by Gizmo
book came with pages dented
the sounds used are not the best parts of each song
by NickiMags
This is a wonderful children’s non-fiction picture book. It’s actually part of a new-to-me series introducing children to famous classical music through words, pictures and short excerpts of music.
This book is all about Helen and Tim, a brother and sister who travel through space visiting the planets in the solar system. To accompany each planet they visit there are buttons to press that play small excerpts of music from Gustav Holst’s The Planets.
I actually listened to my CD of The Planets whilst looking at the book and loved how the illustrations worked really well with the music, along with the facts about each planet that the children visited. I actually read this on my PC so was able to enjoy the brilliant illustrations in a bigger format, and the quality was excellent.
At the back of the book is a short biography about Gustav Holst with details about his composition of The Planets. Along with this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, learn about the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that he used.
I love classical music, and really wish that this series had been around when my son was a child, as he would have really enjoyed it.
Highly recommended as the perfect introduction to classical music for children, plus it and would make a fantastic Christmas gift!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for my digital PDF copy via Adobe Digital Editions.
by Angela Armstrong
This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen, the music makes it extra magical. It’s going to make an amazing gift. I’m thrilled with it
by V. O’Regan
‘The Story Orchestra: the Planets’ is part of a new series of nonfiction books that introduces children, aged 5-8, to classical music through illustrated retellings of various music stories, including ballet and opera, accompanied by 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores.
This book in the series focuses on Gustav Holst and his seven-part orchestral suite, The Planets. It is illustrated by Jessica Courtney Tickle with text by Helen Mortimer and Matthew O’Keefe.
One night as Helen and Tim prepare for bed in their new space rocket bunk beds, they magically blast up and away leaving Earth behind. During the night they visit seven planets in our solar system. On each page is a ‘Press Here’ button that in the physical edition plays a sound clip.
Following the illustrated story there is a brief biography of Holst, details about the composition, and a glossary of musical terms.
I felt that this is an innovative way for parents, guardians, and educators to introduce children to the beauty of classical music, utilising this charming story. The book also presents scientific information about each of the planets.