M IS FOR MUSIC

Sophisticated paintings in olive, tan, gray, rust, aqua, and black raise the age level of the appeal of this abecedarian collection of musical terms. Text and art cooperate marvelously; each spread contains additional terms, musicians, composers, and instruments painted into the background. On the “A” page, the text states, “Aa is for anthem and accordion,” and those are pictured, but the illustrations also include the words “allegro,” “alto, ” “a cappella, ” “aria, ” and a labeled portrait of Louis Armstrong. The pastiche of images and terms resembles collage and will intrigue those interested in researching the more obscure terms. After “zydeco and zither,” the punnily titled “Musical Notes from A to Z” provides information on each letter’s main entries, but not the ones that appear in the art. Best for those ready to explore an interest in music, this will also appeal to those just learning the alphabet. (Picture book. 4-8)