Mozart

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Brighton's ( Nijinsky ; Five Secrets in a Box ) considerable gifts are mostly unfulfilled in this rather static picture book about the talented and precocious Austrian composer (1756-1791). As narrated by Mozart's sister Nannerl, here a rather prim and proper fraulein-in-training who became a music teacher at the ripe old age of 16, the story is oddly perfunctory and cold, told in a diary-like style with an unornamented probity that, even if historically accurate, makes dull work of the young genius. Set in rococo frames, Brighton's paintings are intentionally selective in tone: creamily pallid and formally flat, they make even a naughty kitten look inert. Much the same, regrettably, can be said for Mozart: he's a good little boy who just happens to have a musical knack. A sense of the music itself is wholly lacking, and of Mozart's legendary playfulness there's hardly a clue. While the Viennese formality of Empress Maria Theresa's court--and of drawing rooms throughout--is skillfully evoked, more seems missing from than included in Brighton's ceremonial account. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

In a charming picture book, Brighton takes readers on a journey across Europe with the amazing Wolfi and his talented older sister, Nannerl. Each scene is brief and simply told but with the kind of detail that brings the Mozart children to life: Wolfi falling asleep on Papa's shoulder after doing three concerts in one day; their sea sickness crossing the English Channel; a big oak table in Chelsea where Wolfi, at nine, composed his first symphony. The illustrations are a visual pleasure, from the patterned end papers and rococo borders that frame each page, to the exquisitely detailed interiors. Yet what children will see first are Wolfi in his folded paper hat, Nannerl with her violin, and the cats and dogs tucked everywhere in the foreground. After fascinating books such as The Picture (Faber, 1986), and Five Secrets in a Box (Dutton, 1987), Brighton seems here to have hit her stride. Her text and pictures are always closely intertwined, and in Mozart she has not only found an engaging subject but has also shaped the length of the story to suit the age group most likely to enjoy the book. --Ann Stell, The Smithtown Library, NY