Tom Leonard (1)

Johann Sebastian grew up surrounded by music, the youngest member of a family of musicians, or 'bachs,' as they were known is his part of Germany. Taught to play the harpsichord, trumpet, violin, flute and organ at a young age, his musical education was continued by his eldest brother, Johann Christoph, after his parents died. A lover of patterns, which he observed in music, in the natural world, and in everything he encountered, he began to work those patterns into the music he was writing, show more music that would live on long after he himself, Johann Sebastian Bach, was gone...

A breathtakingly beautiful book, Becoming Bach moved me deeply, both on an aesthetic and an emotional level. I knew from the moment I picked it up that it would be a visually pleasing selection - the cover artwork told me that - but I didn't expect to find its simple narrative of a brilliant soul who took the patterns he observed around him, and transformed them into great art, so poignant. Expected or not, I finished the book with tears in my eyes. What was so moving? It's difficult to say - perhaps it was the notion of patterns, which I too find myself looking for, all around me - but the text here was pitch perfect, and was perfectly matched with the illustrations. As mentioned, I loved the artwork here, from the scene in which Bach composes a fairy-tale castle in the air with musical notation, to the depiction of music as a vibrantly colored floral pattern in the great composer's head. The tale itself was deeply moving, and the inclusion of an informative afterword providing more details about Bach's life was much appreciated. In short, an absolute triumph of a picture-book, one that, despite my current moratorium on book-buying, I will need to add to my collection. show less

As a classically-trained pianist, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I remember studying the great pianists, and I loved learning about how they became the musical geniuses that they were. I really liked that it is told through a young Bach's perspective. It also addresses the mathematical origins of his music, by describing how much he loved patterns. Bach was a very technical musician, and his pieces are often used to teach students theory and structure, when first starting to play an show more instrument. I would share this book with any child, as it speaks to a love of music, but also how wonderful it is to be part of a family with a history. show less

This picture book is a biography about John Sebastian Bach written and illustrated by Tom Leonard. John Sebastian Bach came from a family with over 200 musicians in their lineage. In fact, the German word for a musician was Bach. The overall tone of the book is a cheerful one with musical patterns and notes migrated all over the pages. After the unfortunate death of Bach’s mother, Sebastian learned to cope with music, stating, “words are not enough.” Soon, Bach started to see show more everything as music from patterns on clothing, ripples in the water, and in color blocks in windows. This book was very enjoyable and a very easy read. While I was reading this book, I was thinking of reading it to my students when we are learning about geometry and creating patterns. Bach had a unique mind and saw things in patterns and decided to express his words through sounds. Even though he wasn’t able to verbally articulate his thoughts, he was able to express himself through the energy of his music. show less

A brief picture-book biography of Johann Sebastian Bach, written in first person perspective. The illustrations reflect Bach's style in that they are elegant, complex, and ornamented, practically bursting off the page in music of their own. Back matter includes a biography of Bach, a note from the author, suggested listening, sources, and websites. The School Library Journal lists this title for Grades 1-3. It would be a great starting point for a history study or a visual supplement for a show more study of music. show less