Scott Menchin

A young girl practices for her upcoming piano recital in this picture-book examination of stage fright and improvisation. Although confident that she will do well, the girl nevertheless wears her lucky hat, shoes and underwear. Despite all of her preparations however, when the big moment comes she freezes up. Can she save the day, with an improvised "Song of Middle C...?"

Although a little bit of suspension-of-disbelief is required here - would everyone really have been that impressed by the girl's performance? - Song of Middle C is still an engaging book, one which explores an experience that many young musicians and performers will find familiar. The happy ending offers some reassurance to such children, highlighting the idea that stage fright happens to many of their peers, and that it is something that can be worked through. I had a few reservations about the artwork by Scott Menchin - the characters' fingers were out of scale, and slightly off-putting to me - but all in all I liked the humor in the illustrations. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about practicing a musical instrument and/or confronting public performance for the first time.… (altro)