Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin (Little Big Book)

Did I enjoy Lloyd Moss' love letter to the orchestra? Of course I did! But the real stars of this show, if you'll pardon the pun, are Marjorie Priceman's angular illustrations, which leave no doubt as to why Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin won a Caldecott Honor. Equal parts Al Hirschfeld and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, I could not get enough of them. Readers can sense the excitement, the sophistication, the beauty of a night at the orchestra. What greater introduction to the orchestra could there be?

Lloyd Moss, who worked for New York's classical music station, WQXR, for fifty-three years, turned to the world of children's literature in 1995, publishing this debut picture-book about an ever-expanding group of musicians who chime in, one by one, until a full orchestra is in swing! Beginning with a single trombone, Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin builds momentum and excitement, as each new player joins the group. The rhyming text bowls along, communicating the tone and feeling of each of the instruments - the "mellow" cello, the "darkly slick" clarinet - while also keeping the rhythm joyfully alive.

A celebration of music that also functions as a counting book (the soloist becomes a duo, the duo a trio, and so on), Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin is show more an entertaining little tale that would make an ideal read-aloud selection for story-hour. The gouache illustrations by Marjorie Priceman are full of fun, with a sense of movement that perfectly complements the joie de vivre of the text, and are well deserving of the Caldecott Honor that they received. All in all, a book I would recommend to young music lovers, or to anyone looking for good read-aloud titles. show less

First a trombone plays its silken tone, then a trumpet stings a note. Instruments begin to join on the stage and warm up for the concert. As each one comes out, we learn in beautiful language and pictures about the instrument and its special place in the orchestra. Children learn both numerical counting and what various groups are called: solo, duo, trio, quartet, etc.

As an orchestra member myself, I was amazed at the accuracy of how the author has used words to describe the instruments. One of my favorite parts of listening to a performance is the warm up time rather than the actual performance. Each instrument is singing its own song and yet they all blend into this unique music that you realize will never be played again.

This book show more could be used to teach counting, musical terms, or the differences between instruments. However, I really imagine letting this book be performed. Team up with the orchestra teacher and ask if the school orchestra would perform for your class. As you read about the violin soaring high, the students hear the “Zin! Zin! Zin!” sounds of a real violin. Let a flute really set a child's soul a-shivering. After a piece, let the children stand to their feet and cry, “Encore!” show less

This fun book introduces the instruments of an orchestra, one-by-one. The writing is absolutely lovely. The author’s use of rhymes, alliteration, and onomatopoeias make the writing sound like a song. I was very impressed that Lloyd Moss could make such a dry topic so interesting. Children will love to listen to this story and adults will enjoy the way the words fall off the tongue. This book could be enjoyed as early as Kindergarten.

When this book begins, the trombone is playing all by itself. But soon a trumpet makes a duet, a french horn a trio, and so on until the entire orchestra is assembled on stage. Written in elegant and rhythmic verse and illustrated with playful and flowing artwork, this unique counting book is the perfect introduction to musical groups. Readers of all ages are sure to shout “Encore!” when they reach the final page of this joyous celebration of classical music.

When this book begins, the trombone is playing all by itself. But soon a trumpet makes a duet, a french horn a trio, and so on until the entire orchestra is assembled on stage. Written in elegant and rhythmic verse and illustrated with playful and flowing artwork, this unique counting book is the perfect introduction to musical groups.

Lloyd Moss' Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin has an engaging, poetic text, combined with wonderful illustrations (I can certainly understand why this is a Caldecott Honor book), and is an informative and fun way to introduce children not only to ten important musical instruments, but also to the numbers one to ten (and solo to a chamber group of ten musicians). While the text itself is not spectacular, I think it would work very well as a read-aloud, either at home or in a Kindergarten or grade one classroom.

The only (and very minor) issue I, personally, have with this book is the font size and the fact that the text is curved, which could perhaps prove distracting while reading (especially if reading aloud). I know that I would be afraid of show more misreading or accidentally skipping parts of the narrative, if I were reading this otherwise excellent picture book to a child or a group of children. show less