The Piano Recital

Wearing a red party dress and a grim expression, Momo waits to perform in her first piano recital. She's nervous ("Momo's heart is racing"), and she stands in the auditorium's wings, talking to herself: "I'll be okay.... I'll be okay." Suddenly she spots a "mouseling," also clad in a frock, who invites Momo to hear its own recital. "Don't worry, there's still time until your turn!" Threading her way through a dark passageway, Momo emerges in a diminutive theater filled with mice and watches as performers put on a dazzling show of dance and song. Miyakoshi (The Way Home in the Night) draws fanciful spreads in dark, shadowy charcoal with jewel-toned accents. Beautifully realized, they will divert readers just as they divert Momo, who soon finds herself playing the piano and singing for the mouse performers. Just as suddenly, she's back where she should be, on her own stage, performing with confidence. Many stories about children in stressful situations stay firmly in the real world. This story (and its natural-sounding uncredited translation from the Japanese) fulfills the wish of reluctant recital players (and some nonrecitalists as well) to find themselves in another world entirely. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 2--This Japanese import by the creator of The Way Home in the Night captures a young girl's interior world as she experiences the emotions surrounding her first performance. Soft pencil, charcoal, and acrylic gouache compositions are rendered in a controlled palette, initially comprised of black and white settings with Momo's dress ranging from a deep red to a brilliant pink, depending on the light. As the round-faced, dark-haired girl waits backstage, heart pounding, she reminds herself: "I'll be okay." When the child actually hears the words uttered, she discovers a nervous mouse at her feet, attired in a coordinating dress. The rodent invites the girl to her recital, offering reassurance that there is time. As Momo enters a little door, she finds herself behind an audience of well-dressed mice. Miyakoshi adds quiet greens and yellows, and awe-inspiring acts depicted from dramatic perspectives ensue: acrobats form a tall pyramid, a magician transforms his partner into a butterfly. When a chorus of mice sings, the visitor notes that their timing is not perfect, but they are having fun. Momo forgets her own worries as she accompanies her friend; her acknowledgement of applause occurs before a human audience. Miyakoshi excels at visualizing a young person's vulnerability in the face of moments that loom large. The idea that performing can be stressful, absorbing, less-than-perfect, and thrilling are all conveyed through a captivating story, rather than a heavy-handed message. VERDICT Honoring imagination, this enchanting fantasy offers alternatives and antidotes to anxiety.--Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library