88-instruments-educators-guide

There’s been an accumulation of splendiffery in the four weeks since 88 Instruments was published, and I can’t stand to keep it to myself.

For starters, there’s this 88 Instruments Educators’ Guide and Activities download from Random House.

On her new blog A Book and A Pie, Lindsay Leslie has paired her review of 88 Instruments with her selection of the ideal pie to go with the book. This is not a theoretical pie, but an actual pie. Or rather, a pie that was actual prior to being presumably happily devoured. Thanks, Lindsay!

88 Instruments has also received a review (though no pie) from The Horn Book:

The galloping rhymed text, featuring toe-tapping dictionary rejects (‘thrummiest’), is a song unto itself. … The loose-handed, even jittery illustrations foreground [the protagonist’s] attempts to play many of the instruments; meanwhile, his parents are a mute chorus of comical anxiety.

And from Franki Sibberson at A Year of Reading:

This book is perfect for talking about growth mindset in a fun way–the last few pages of the book that include the decision of instrument and the plan for learning are simple yet powerful for conversations around learning and growth mindset.

Some of my favorite tweets about the book have included:

I also appreciated the mentions from Beth Shaum (A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust), Alicia Salazar (There’s a Story in All of Us), Catherine Coyne (Youth Services Book Review), Michele Knott (Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook), Jana Eschner (Jana The Teacher), and Mrs. ReaderPants.

Finally, many thanks to my hometown indie, BookPeople, for already featuring 88 Instruments as a storytime readaloud. I wish I’d been there — it takes a while to learn how to present in public a book you wrote in private, and I could probably pick up some pointers!

88 Instruments