Let's play by Gabriel Alborozo
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743316283.
(Ages: 2-8) Recommended. Picture book. Let's Play is a delightful
introduction to many of the instruments that make up the orchestra.
Hosted by a moustachioed, music loving maestro, a group of delighted
children discover the sounds and colour of orchestral music.
Starting with black and white line drawings of our bespectacled,
baton wielding teacher and the children, each instrument is
introduced and played with the sound represented by shapes and
colour to the entertainment of the children and who dance and join
in playing. From the bright yellow reverberations of the cymbals and
the brightly coloured rectangles representing the xylophone sound,
to the shades of deeper orange swirls and wisps representing the
bassoon contrasting with the single blue line of the piccolo there
is a wealth of colour and movement on every page.
Of course the orchestra finally plays together accompanied by the
now colourfully clothed children and the final page is a vision of
movement and colour.
Readers will recognise the joy of the children and the exuberance of
the orchestral members, like Jeffery banging the cymbals, or the
highly energetic Marguerite on the xylophone, from the
illustrations. To fully appreciate this book however the reader will
need to have some experience with the different sounds the
instruments make.
What a great way to begin an exploration of the world of music
if this book and a recording of the sounds were to be used in
harmony.
Sue Keane