Description
Travel through time following a charming little mouse called Minim who loves cheese and music. On this occasion, he finds himself bouncing around in Emily’s skirt pocket as she joyfully skips down the stairs to her father’s bustling workshop. A very special guest has just arrived, a musician deemed to be the best violinist in the world. Little do the luthiers know that they will come very close to witnessing a terrible accident: the destruction of Niccolo Paganini’s most cherished instrument. Luckily, the little girl saves the day by miraculously catching the violin in midair before it hits the floor. Filled with gratitude, the maestro begins to play a piece for her—as if nothing else in the world ever existed. In addition to an illustrated story and introductory notes on the composer, this book is accompanied by a CD featuring recordings of the narrated story and the performance of the composition “Caprice 24.” A unique code for the digital download of the recordings and a printable file of the illustrated story is also included.
Author Bio
MARIE LAFRANCE has illustrated for magazines, newspapers, billboards and boxes of jelly powder, but now she prefers to use her warm and engaging artwork to bring picture books to life. Her books include The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O’Leary and The Brass Charm by Monique Polak. Her art has been included in the New York Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibition, and she has won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. Marie lives in Montreal, Quebec.
Biographical note
Marie Lafrance is one of Québec’s best-known illustrators, thanks to her participation in several children’s books, including Le Grand voyage by Monsieur Caca, La fée des bonbons, and La Diablesse and the Baby, for which she was a finalist of the Governor General’s Literary Award. Founded in 1983, I Musici de Montréal is a chamber orchestra of 15 musicians that performs a vast repertoire extending from baroque to contemporary. The ensemble has released more than 40 recordings and presents a busy schedule of over 100 concerts per season throughout the world at some of the best-known concert halls, including New York City’s Lincoln Centre, Brussels’ Palais des Beaux-Arts, Tokyo’s Kioi Hall, and Geneva’s Victoria Hall.During numerous seasons at the Stratford Festival, Colm Feore achieved fame as one of Canada's premiere stage actors, playing virtually all of Shakespeare's leading men. While continuing his work on stage, he also frequently acted on television and in film. He is especially well-known for his performance in the title role of Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould and for his supporting roles in notable Hollywood films The Sum of All Fears, The Chronicle of Riddick, Paycheck, and Pearl Harbor. More recently, he starred in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, King Lear, Gotham, and House of Cards. Ana Gerhard studied as a concert pianist at the Mexican National Conservatory. She has taught piano for several years and has hosted numerous radio programs dedicated to the promotion of classical music. Her previous works on introducing classical music to children, Listen to the Birds, Simply Fantastic, Amazing Water, and Little Creatures all received a Parents' Choice Award in the US.
