Can You Hear It? Book & CD

Can You Hear It? by William Lach is an interesting addition to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's popular Can You Find It? series. In this 39-page book, beautiful works of art are paired with equally beautiful symphonies, introducing children to both and encouraging their appreciation. The book brings pictorial classical musicmusic inspired by or capable of conjuring vivid visual imagesto life through 16th century oil paintings, 19th-century engravings, and more, all displayed in dazzling full-color. Featured music includes pieces and excerpts of Vivaldi, Gershwin, Copland, Tchaikovsky, and others. The game is played and the book best used by reading the "Can you hear it?" clues on the pages, finding the clue in the artwork, playing the corresponding symphonic track on the included CD, and listening for the specific sound effect intended to represent that particular image. Follow-up clues are provided for the more difficult pairs. After identifying the clues, children can act out, draw, or describe the pictures the music makes in their own minds in addition to those in the art on the pages. Also included in the book are "An Introduction to Musical Instruments" (six pages of instrument descriptions_1 and photographs of beautiful instrumentsboth in works of art, and that are works of art in themselves), a special section "About the Art and Music," and a brief listing of additional print, web, and CD resources. A great introduction to both art and classical music, and a beautiful and memorable book. ~ Rachel D.