Title: The Trumpet of the Swan
Author: E.B. White
Illustrator: Edward Frascino
Publisher: Scholastic
Year of Publication: 1970
Genre: Fiction
Horn Book or Kirkus Reviews rating: This book received a starred review from Kirkus.
Summary: Louis is a Trumpeter Swan who was born without a voice. Louis does not want to be different and tries to find some way to fit in.
Summary of Professional Reviews: The Horn Book liked that this story is a "tale of honor, love, friendship, and whimsy."
Review by Alexis: This book is a classic novel that has a unique plot. Louis is a mute Trumpeter Swan, who goes to school, learns to read and write, and then learns to play the trumpet. This is a story that can only come from the mind of White and no other writer could write it. If the plot was not interesting enough, Frascino's illustrations are incredible. The cover illustration is beautiful and looks painted on. On the cover and the inside, all of the illustrations are extremely clear and detailed. Even though the illustrations are all in black and white, they are not cloudy. All of the outlines are dark and Frascino makes it easy for the reader to see every detail. The book also includes images of the sheet music from the songs Louis is playing after he learns to play the trumpet. Having the sheet music, helps the reader see what Louis is playing and, for the musically inclined reader, they can hear the tune of the song he is playing by reading the notes.
This book would be useful when teaching… This book would be useful to use during a literature circle. This book could be used during a unit on fantasy and have one role where students find the elements of fantasy. This book could also be used to teach about classic novels and why they are classics. A classic novel is one that has stood the test of time and a teacher could teach students about classics. In a literature circle, one of the roles could be where a student tries to hypothesize why the book is a classic based on the section they are reading.
Author: E.B. White
Illustrator: Edward Frascino
Publisher: Scholastic
Year of Publication: 1970
Genre: Fiction
Horn Book or Kirkus Reviews rating: This book received a starred review from Kirkus.
Summary: Louis is a Trumpeter Swan who was born without a voice. Louis does not want to be different and tries to find some way to fit in.
Summary of Professional Reviews: The Horn Book liked that this story is a "tale of honor, love, friendship, and whimsy."
Review by Alexis: This book is a classic novel that has a unique plot. Louis is a mute Trumpeter Swan, who goes to school, learns to read and write, and then learns to play the trumpet. This is a story that can only come from the mind of White and no other writer could write it. If the plot was not interesting enough, Frascino's illustrations are incredible. The cover illustration is beautiful and looks painted on. On the cover and the inside, all of the illustrations are extremely clear and detailed. Even though the illustrations are all in black and white, they are not cloudy. All of the outlines are dark and Frascino makes it easy for the reader to see every detail. The book also includes images of the sheet music from the songs Louis is playing after he learns to play the trumpet. Having the sheet music, helps the reader see what Louis is playing and, for the musically inclined reader, they can hear the tune of the song he is playing by reading the notes.
This book would be useful when teaching… This book would be useful to use during a literature circle. This book could be used during a unit on fantasy and have one role where students find the elements of fantasy. This book could also be used to teach about classic novels and why they are classics. A classic novel is one that has stood the test of time and a teacher could teach students about classics. In a literature circle, one of the roles could be where a student tries to hypothesize why the book is a classic based on the section they are reading.