From Publishers Weekly
Winter sets a mythic backdrop for her picture book biography as she shows the lineage of the esteemed composer: "In the days of castles and kings,/ the birds listened/ when Vitus Bach played his cittern." While her profile of Georgia O'Keeffe in My Name Is Georgia was grounded in the details of the landscapes that so moved the artist, here Winter's distinctive narration eschews the anecdotal and informal, and therefore distances readers from the subject: "The music filled the church like thunder./ Angels listened." Winter's signature acrylic paintings, evocative of folk art, also take on an other-worldly aspect: dramatic black backgrounds and silhouettes set off the many patternsAof clouds, stars, trees, rooftops, cobblestones. Winter casts the angelic audience smiling upon Bach from the firmament in a far more favorable light than the "unruly boys" Bach tutors and the "fidgety choirboys" at the church where Bach plays the organ. Readers who prefer an idealized portrait will be well served by this unusual, if somewhat elusive, book. Ages 5-8. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-As she did so effectively in My Name Is Georgia (Harcourt, 1998), Diego (Knopf, 1994), and Josefina (Harcourt, 1996), Winter combines a spare text and colorful illustrations to capture her subject's personality. In a folkloric tone, she presents the outlines of the composer's youth, family, marriage, and work. The author clearly relates how music dominated Bach's life as compositions filled his head and he worked feverishly to get them down on paper. She also succeeds at conveying the complexity of composition: "He heard one melody for the violin, one for the trumpet, one for the flute, and one for the oboe." Winter's palette is dominated by the blue, teal, and violet that are used to border each page, although within the illustrations, they take on a deeper, more vibrant shade. Waving ribbons of color represent the music throughout the illustrations. Although few details of the composer's life are included, readers will sense his determination to succeed. Most of all, they will understand the importance of his music to the world.Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NYCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Gr. 2^-4, younger for reading aloud. Like Winter's biography of Georgia O'Keeffe, My Name is Georgia (a Booklist Editors' Choice 1998), this simple picture-book biography of the master composer expresses the harmony of the artist's work as well as the intensity of his life. Winter begins in folktale style ("In the days of castles and kings"), with the musical gift being passed down through generations ("All the Bachs played music"); and the storytelling fits perfectly with her signature folk-art paintings. We see Sebastian's sadness when he is orphaned at age nine, and then his youthful joy in playing the organ; but the main focus is on his work as a composer, the music he hears in his head that comes to life all around him. Even in the happy family turmoil with his 20 children, even in the jail cell where he spends a month, even on his deathbed, Bach is still composing. Winter's spare poetic text is beautiful ("He heard one melody for the violin, one for the trumpet, one for the flute, and one for the oboe. Each instrument had its own voice. And when all the voices sounded at the same time, it was like good friends talking together"). In brilliant colors, with lots of blue and purple, the framed acrylic quiltlike paintings have depth and clear detail, showing the composer at work and individual instruments working together to make the waves of music that weave through everyday life and through space and time. A fine biography to use with children who play an instrument and those who love to listen. Hazel Rochman


Book Description
A long time ago, a boy named Sebastian was born into a family of musicians. He heard music everywhere, especially in his own head, and he wrote down what he heard. Sebastian married, raised a family, and wrote more than a thousand pieces of music. He also created a little book of music especially for his wife, Anna Magdalena, so that in the evenings the whole family could make music together. Hundreds of years after his death, Bach’s music is heard and played all over the world. Many people think it is some of the most glorious music ever written. And today young students--like Bach’s own children--can learn to play the music from Anna Magdalena’s notebook.



Card catalog description
Describes how Johann Sebastian Bach survived the sorrows of his childhood and composed the music the world has come to love.

ANNOTATION

Describes how Johann Sebastian Bach survived the sorrows of his childhood and composed the music the world has come to love.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A long time ago, a boy named Sebastian was born into a family of musicians. He heard music everywhere, especially in his own head, and he wrote down what he heard. Sebastian married, raised a family, and wrote more than a thousand pieces of music. He also created a little book of music especially for his wife, Anna Magdalena, so that in the evenings the whole family could make music together. Hundreds of years after his death, Bach's music is heard and played all over the world. Many people think it is some of the most glorious music ever written. And today young students--like Bach's own children--can learn to play the music from Anna Magdalena's notebook.

FROM THE CRITICS

Karen Carden - The Christian Science Monitor

...[B]eautifully designed, written, and illustrated book....a well rounded story....Bach's music floats on ribbons of...harmonious hues.

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

Jeanette Winter's small book with a concise text contains a large amount of information. The book begins by describing Bach's musical lineage, family, and then, his parents death when the boy felt "the music stopped." Winter recounts Bach's life with his brother, early musical passions that drove him to better understand music, and his talents in a composing style where "each instrument had its own voice. And when all the voices sounded at the same time, it was like good friends talking." Winters mentions other interesting facets of his life including his twenty children, a jail stint, and how he was still composing one last piece" as his heart took its final beats."

Children's Literature - Judy Chernak

An exceptional picture book whose main purpose is telling a wonderful story rather than teaching a lesson, this should be a real treat for almost any child. How can it miss with a page one note that the first Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977 will greet any extraterrestrial life forms with the music of Bach? From "In the days of castles and kings..." through the Bach family's musical generations to Johann Sebastian's own twenty children, one is lured by fascinating facts about this prolific genius who never traveled more than two hundred miles from his home but played for princes and kings. Composing by night, rushing to the church organ at dawn so his ears could hear what his head had already heard and his fingers written, he created a body of music unmatched and beloved to this day. The acrylic paintings are lively and appealing, providing a positive image of music's charms. I wish only that the author/illustrator had penned the music scores more accurately, as a sharp eye will pick up too many or too few notes in some of the bars.

Children's Literature

The life story of the immortal composer, whose music travels on the Voyager spacecraft, is told simply but vividly, using just a few sentences per page, to make Bach's music come alive. Descended from a musical family, Bach grew up surrounded by music. The text follows his studies, his listening and performing, and finally his composing career. Winter fills in some important details of his life and work along with a description of his influence. In poetic prose, she takes us beyond his death to where he "sings in the choir of angels." Her paintings (one per page) depict his growth with simplicity and affection. She uses decorative devices like curving bands of color to suggest the flow of music. Her solid sense of design depicts people and musical instruments with clarity and visual attractiveness.

School Library Journal