Title: The Flying Orchestra
Author: Clare McFadden
Illustrator: Clare McFadden
Publisher: University of Queensland Press, $24.95 RRP
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780702237041
For ages: Primary school
Type: Picture Book
About: On a windy day, the Flying Orchestra blows into town and play beautiful music to the tunes of life.
They play whenever a baby is born or someone learns to ride their bike; you can hear the orchestra when you’re lost in the dark or awake all night thinking; listen for them after a sad moment at a birthday party or on a sunny day at the beach.
Music is all around.
And then the wind comes and, just as suddenly as they appeared, they are gone once again.
The Flying Orchestra is a special, unique story about the magic in the air all around us in day-to-day life. It introduces the concept of different types of music to children, inviting them to imagine the tunes that could be played to the various moments described.
So descriptive and moving, the text flies around the page with the music of the orchestra, with the easy rhythm one could be forgiven for expecting from a story along these lines.
The acrylic and pencil illustrations create a beautiful sense of whimsy that will have all readers looking around them and seeing their lives in a newly magical, dreamy way.
It’s hard to believe that this is McFadden’s first foray into children’s books, and I can barely wait to see her next offering.
This book is available online
