PIANO WANTS TO PLAY

Piano is full of songs; will anyone sit down and help Piano sing?

The first time Amy Lu meets Piano, she begins with a few experimental pokes on its keys. Piano responds, “Plink plink plink.” Their early relationship is full of stumbles as Amy and Piano figure out how to play together. As the weeks pass, however, they settle into a friendship full of “rippling melodies” and “boogie-woogies.” Their friendship starts to fade as Amy grows up. Piano still wants to play, of course, but homework, soccer, and new friends keep Amy from sitting down at the bench. Amy’s brother Rupert becomes Piano’s new playmate. Unfortunately, they are a poor match. Where Amy’s fingers skipped, Rupert’s smack the keys “like little dead fish.” After one too many tortured sessions, Rupert abandons Piano, too, and Piano falls silent. Lonely and unwanted, Piano longs for another chance to play. The evocative text and stirring story will win over readers, while the mixed-media collages dazzle throughout; they’re particularly breathtaking on the two-page spread dedicated to Piano and Amy’s joyful reunion. Amy and Rupert are cued Chinese; other characters are diverse, and complexions include realistic shades of beige and brown as well as pink and purple.

A tender invitation to rediscover old friendships and create new melodies.