Imagine a rainy Saturday in Wisconsin on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin. A six-year-old girl is not feeling well and is relaxing on the couch while her five-year-old brother sits nearby watching cartoons. Mom is busy with her week at a half brother, while Dad is in the barn tending the cows. The oldest child (the five-year-old) reminds Mom that she needs to read ten minutes every day to color her reading chart. A smile spreads across the mother’s face and she gladly turns off the television and opens her Kindle. He had almost forgotten the new book he had intended to read with the children weeks before. With the baby in one arm and the Kindle in the other, Mom asks the children to sit around her feet while she rocks in the rocking chair.
Mom announced the title: Angelina’s Concertina and the children looked at her askance, not really knowing what a concertina was. Rather than explaining too much too soon, Mom assured the children that they would figure it out if they listened carefully and promised to show them each of the brightly colored pictures as the story was told.
It didn’t take long and one of the children asked “is a concertina like an accordion mom?” and the other commented “Grandma has an accordion, right?” The children listened attentively as the story progressed and even chorused in the chorus / song about Angelina playing her concertina ooh la la! It was decided that the grandmother’s dress was charming and that the children were bullies. When the story ended, the conversation was even more exciting (at least from Mom’s point of view) when the children talked about what they had learned:
• It is never too late to ask for forgiveness
• You should not make fun of how other people do things
• Don’t be afraid to make music even if no one likes it.
Mom closed the book with a smile knowing that Angelina’s Concertina would be shared over and over again. What a wonderful story with exquisite illustrations and fabulous lessons. Hats off to Gina Cialkoszewski – Kabat for sharing this story and Courtney Matthies for her illustrations. This is a great book for children of different ages!
It is always a pleasure to find a book that children enjoy as much as old books like The Cat in the Hat or The Secret Garden. I appreciate the thought that was included in Angelina’s Concertina, as well as the message that the children clearly understood.