Play, Mozart, Play!

By Peter Sis
Published in 2006

    Peter Sis was the author I explored more in depth for my project and I was pleasantly surprised at the variance of the books he wrote. One type he did was biographies such as this book. This kid friendly biography of Mozart does a great job of depicting his life. Sis chooses important events that would make sense to kids, and then does a great job of illustrating them. I felt as if the words helped me understand the story. Instead of the usual the pictures add to the words of the story. I learned that Mozart was talented as a young child and his stern father helped him practice and become the infamous artist he is today. I say he is stern not because it says it in the book, but throughout the book he is represented by a dark silhouette. We never actually see him.
   This would be a great book to incorporate into teaching as well since it is geared towards the younger ages, and during that time most of them write about themselves, because that is what they know best. This book could be an introduction into writing biographies of themselves or other things prevalent in their life such as a sport they play, family member, or animals.