Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin

Lloyd Moss (1995), 28 pages

Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

Audience: all ages

Format: picture book

Music is the inspiration behind Moss and Priceman’s Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin. Using an orchestra of instruments the story progresses from a lone trombone to a chamber group of ten, which makes for an energetic and eclectic countdown. With each turn of the page, readers amass more instruments, sounds, and musical terms along the way; each additional instrument is added until at last, readers are treated to a full symphony orchestra. This book is both educational and fun. Moss’s text is filled with rhyme and rhythm … words even sways back and forth as if they were dancing to a musical beat. Priceman’s illustrations are lively. Her bold color choices and whimsical drawings are full of movement. This 1996 Caldecott Honoree is a wonderful addition to your picture book collection. It teaches counting, numerals, names and types of instruments, etc. and will appeal to a range of ages, from babies, toddlers, and beyond. A great book if attending the orchestra, a concert, or theatre for the first time. Or play-pretend and make a duo, trio, or quartet of your own at home!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: The Maestro Plays by Bill Martin Jr. or The Jazz Fly by Matthew Gollub

Other books by this author: Our Marching Band and Music Is

Other books by this illustrator: How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, One of Each, Paris in the Spring with Picasso, Emeline at the Circus, and Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride (Caldecott Honor)