by Jan L. Coates
illustrated by Francois Thisdale
Red Deer Press, 2022
ISBN 978-0-889-95645-2
$19.95, 28 pp, ages 6 – 12
reddeerpress.com
Based on a real person who was taught by Maestro Antonio Vivaldi, this beautifully illustrated book tells the fictional story of how synesthesia—a condition in which sound involuntarily evokes an experience of colour, shape, and movement—enabled an orphan girl to play the violin with skill and feeling. Recognizing her unusual gifts, Anna Maria becomes Vivaldi’s student and a proficient member of the “Figlie del Coro,” a group of dedicated musicians. Vivaldi shows her the work of Marco Rici, whose paintings of the four seasons inspired Vivaldi’s musical masterpiece. Vivaldi, recognizing her gifts, asks Anna Maria to be the soloist in his performance. The evocative landscapes and lyrical prose in this book demonstrate how both Vivaldi and the young violinist bring emotions and memories to life through music and art.
Classroom Connections: This picture book can be used by students in elementary school grades as an accompaniment to listening to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” Before reading the book and after listening to the musical selection, ask students to listen again, and put down words, images, and colours that come to mind as they listen, and then read the book to see if their sensory connections were similar to Anna Maria’s. Students could use their recorded images and words to create a detailed picture, poem, or written paragraph that illustrates the season featured by the music.
Review by Betty Schultze.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2023 issue.