Tag: Mark Hoffman

Posted in picture books

A musical tale: The Note Who Faced the Music

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Note Who Faced the Music, by Lindsay Bonilla/Illustrated by Mark Hoffman, (March 2023, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645676317

Ages 5-8

Half Note doesn’t feel like she measures up to the other notes. She can’t fill a whole measure like Whole Note, and she doesn’t have a cute little flag like Eighth Note. Whole Note suggests everyone have a nap, and Half Note decides to run away, deciding that it’s “time to face the music. I’ll never measure up. The staff will be better off without me”. Composer discovers Half Note is missing and panics: she’s integral to the whole piece! Composer comes up with a brilliant idea that will lure Half Note back and assure her that she’s an important part of her musical staff. Filled with musical terminology and puns, anthropomorphic illustrations of friendly-faced musical notes, and colorful artwork, The Note Who Faced the Music is a fun story about teamwork and realizing one’s own worth. A glossary and explanation of musical terms fills the back matter. A good additional purchase where musical books do well.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

A Penny’s Worth is just good cents (see what I did there?)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Penny’s Worth, by Kimberly Wilson/Illustrated by Mark Hoffman, (April 2022, Page Street Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781645674689

Ages 4-8

A penny emerges hot off the minting press and ready to take on the world… until she sees other coins and bills getting all the attention, while she sits alone. Penny candy? It’s a dime these days. Arcade game? No way, that’s for quarters. Penny is determined to find her purpose, and when all hope seems lost, she finds it in this sweetly comical story about money and worth. Loaded with money puns, A Penny’s Worth is a great way to start a discussion about money, the rising cost of living, and finding your way when everyone around you says “no”. Mixed media artwork is lively and colorful; the currency all have large, expressive eyes and little limbs, making them eye-catching to young readers. Kids will feel for the poor penny as she’s rejected from a video game and sits sadly in the return slot and receives a lesson in inflation from a dime, who sports a graduate-like mortarboard and black robe, and cheer when she finds her purposes in a child’s smile. Endpapers bookend the story. Back matter includes information about pennies and a bibliography. A nice addition to collections and a fun storytime readaloud.

Pair with books like Rosemary Well’s Bunny Money and Nancy Shaw’s Sheep in a Shop for a money-themed storytime. Print out some Crayola printable money for a fun post-storytime activity.