Remarkable Farkle McBride

Freckle-faced musical genius, Farkle McBride can't figure it out -- he masters all instruments, but still he is not satisfied. Something is missing. In his first book, actor and musician John Lithgow introduces a memorable character, a fickle yet lovable child prodigy who brings the sounds and rhythms of an orchestra to sprawling visual life.

Publishers Weekly

In what PW called "a romp of a tale," a prodigy's quest for the perfect instrument leads him through virtually every section of the orchestra until he steps in for an ill conductor. "The nimble verse with a limerick's beat sparkles." Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

John Lithgow is the New York Times bestselling author of I Got Two Dogs, Mahalia Mouse Goes to College, Marsupial Sue Presents: The Runaway Pancake, I'm A Manatee, Micawber, Marsupial Sue, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, and Carnival of the Animals. An award-winning actor, he has starred on stage, film, and television. He performs concerts across the country, and has recorded the CDs Farkle and Friends, Singin' in the Bathtub and The Sunny Side of the Street. Visit John at lithgowforkids.com.

C.F. Payne is best known for his editorial and advertising pieces and as the illustrator of The Remarkable Farkle McBride by John Lithgow. His illustrations appear regularly in the New York Times Book Review, the Atlantic Monthly, and Time. He has created five stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and has illustrated the Molly books in the American Girls series. He also painted a 100-foot-long mural for a Cincinnati theater. C.F. Payne lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.