The Harmonica

Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone! My picture book recommendation today is…

The Harmonica written by Tony Johnston,  illustrated by Ron Mazellan, published by Charlesbridge, 2014.

Themes/Topics: Concentration camps, Holocaust, music, Schubert, power of music, strength of the human heart

Opening: I cannot remember my father’s face, or my mother’s, but I remember their love, warm and enfolding as a song.

Brief Synopsis (from Amazon): When the Nazis invaded Poland, a family is split apart. The parents are sent to one concentration camp, their son to another. Only his father's gift, a harmonica, keeps the boy's hopes alive and, miraculously, ensures his survival. When an officer discovers his talent, he makes the boy play each night. Through music the boy invokes his parents and brings comfort to the other prisoners, lifting their spirits if only for a moment at time.

Why I Like This Book: Based on the true story of Henryk Rosmaryn/Henry Rosmarin. I love the brevity and power of this book.

It inspired me to learn more about Schubert.  “Where other people keep diaries in which they record their momentary feelings, etc, Schubert simply kept sheets of music by him and confided his changing moods to them; and his soul being steeped in music, he put down notes when another man would resort to words.”

-- Robert Schumann, letter to to Friedrich Wieck, 1829; quoted in Gal, The Musician's World (1965)

Links To Resources

—Robert Schumann Wikipedia article

To find even more awesome picture books (and browse them by theme!) visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books page.