Music and the Arts

We are blessed to live in a community that supports the arts.  Perhaps some of you were even at the recent ACE Awards, given by the local arts and entertainment council, 40 North.  Picture book writers Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan have joined talents again to celebrate the arts by sharing the creative process behind the ballet Appalachian Spring in the book Ballet for Martha.  The authors profile each artist, as individual strands in a braid, to share the interwoven process between dancer/choreographer Martha Graham,  musician Aaron Copland, and set designer Isamu Noguchi.  Brian Floca's watercolor and ink illustrations perfectly pace the unfolding story, as correspondence is sent through the mail, dancers grapple with unusual scenery, and the ballet finally opens to a live audience.  This is a perfect book for sharing together with children and adults, whether with a dance enthusiast, or a fellow creative spirit.  -Elaine B.  P.S.   Don't miss our display of other musically-inspired children's books.  Visit them on the wall next to our easy-to-read section through December.