When Thomas’
math problems give him trouble, he has a wild tantrum, ripping
apart his favorite book, knocking over his clock and overturning
his tea and cake. But, when he plops down in his favorite
armchair, the chair decides that “its stuffing has had enough”
of the boy’s bad behavior. It blows Thomas into a strange place
in time where Thomas comes face-to-face with the very objects he
just broke.
The Boy and the Spell’s
playful language and lovely illustrations will captivate young
children while helping them develop a love for the marvelous
stories in classical music.
In The Boy and the
Spell, young readers can explore the enchanting world
created by Ravel’s opera—complete with fairytale princesses,
shepherds counting sheep and talking
forest animals—while learning an
important lesson about being respectful to others.
The Boy and the Spell is the second book in the “Musical
Stories Series” collection. Designed to create an awareness of
classical music among young children, the series features
picture books based on the famous children’s operas and ballets.
Also available in The Musical
Stories series:
The Love for Three Oranges Oranges by
Sergei Prokofiev and illustrated by Elzbieta Gaudasinska (ISBN
0964601036)
Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937) was
one of the most original and sophisticated composers of the
early twentieth century. Born in Ciboure, France, he began his
musical studies at the age of seven. In 1899 he entered the
Paris Conservatory where he studied composition. Ravel’s
numerous works include operas, such as L'Enfant et les
Sortileges (The Child and the Spell), ballets, orchestral music,
chamber music, piano music and so forth. In 1921 he was awarded
the Légion d'Honneur.
Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873 -
1954) was born in the Burgundy village of Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye,
France. She was an actress, novelist, journalist and
autobiographer whose life and works were inextricably
intertwined. To the American public Colette is better known as
an originator of Gigi. In 1925 she collaborated with Maurice
Ravel on L’Enfant et les Sortileges, an opera
for which she wrote the libretto.
Serena Riglietti has
illustrated over fifty books for children worldwide, including
the Italian editions of the Harry Potter series. She was born in
Pavia, Italy, in 1969, and graduated from the
Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino, Italy.
Her credits include The Boy and the Spell, The Nutcracker, The
Wizard of Oz and The Magician's Boy among others. Her
illustrations were selected for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Illustrators Exhibition in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
Pegi Deitz Shea is a winner of
the 2004 Connecticut Book Award for Children's Literature. Her
award-winning books include Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's
Story; Ten Mice for Tet; Liberty Rising: The Story of the Statue
of Liberty; The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee’s Story; The Carpet
Boy's Gift; and Patience Wright: America's First Sculptor &
Revolutionary Spy. She lives in Connecticut with her husband,
Tom, and their children, Deirdre and Tommy.
