In a tribute to the unnamed city of Sarajevo, a girl tells the story of the struggle to survive in a city ravaged by war. The only happiness in her life, and the lives of those around her, comes every Wednesday at four o'clock, in the form of a relief truck bearing supplies. But when the relief truck is bombed in the town square, the people begin to lose hope, until the girl's unfriendly neighbor, Mr. O, takes over. Every day at four o'clock, Mr. O sits in the square and plays beautiful melodies on his cello, buoying the spirits of the town with his music and his courage.

Set in a war torn town, the highlight of the week is when the relief truck comes to bring meager rations. Everyone talks and socializes while they wait for the truck, except grumpy Mr. O. Some say he's a thinker, but the narrator knows that he is just plain mean. One week disaster strikes and all hope seems lost for this town, but sometimes courage and inspiration can come from the most surprising of places. ( )

This is a fantastic book. In The Cello of Mr. O, Mr. O is a Jewish man who lives in a ghetto of a German occupied country during the holocaust. Living conditions are very poor, but Mr. O manages to keep everyone’s spirits up with music from his cello. Eventually a bomb comes and destroys the cello, but Mr. O comes back the next day with a harmonica, keeping spirits high. This book is written from the perspective of a Jewish child in the ghetto with Mr. O, and shows a very small glimpse into some of the hardships of WWII. ( )

“The Cello of Mr. O” was a fantastic picture book set during the Holocaust. What I liked the most about the book was the big picture, the fact that music can help you find peace. “The music of the cello makes us feel less angry. And the courage of the cellist makes us less afraid.” is how Jane Cutter explains it. I also really liked how Mr. O changed as the book progressed. In the beginning, Mr. O is seen as a scary, grumpy, old man; yet, at the end he brings courage and happiness to the town. At first, the little girl jokes about the old man and plays pranks on him. But by the end, he has especially brought happiness to the little girl when he play his harmonica. This is because the harmonica connects her to her father who is off at war. This could be seen as another big picture, don't judge a book by its cover. The old man surprises everyone when he plays for the towns enjoyment. ( )

“The Cello of Mr. O” is a general fiction text that incorporates contemporary realistic fiction. This picture book describes a war torn city and how music brings the community together. I really enjoyed reading this book. The illustrations are vivid and provide the reader with a visual of what a war torn city looks like. As the reader, I was able to invision myself on the street of the city with the community in the aftermath of war. This is a significant characteristic of any text because the illustration allow the reader to draw connections to the text. This story focused around a young girl, her mother and their community. There was little to be “happy” about in the community. The relief truck that was scheduled to make deliveries every wednesday at 4 was bombed. This was shocking to me because I felt that the situation could only get better, however I was wrong. Mr. O is the young girl's neighbor and is known for being unfriendly. Mr. O began to play his cello in the town square to raise the spirits of his community. The community was brought together by the beautiful melodies of music. I feel that the central message of this text is that music can be used to unify a community and to show that music can be moving, inspirational and a sign of courage. ( )