Join three adorable dogs for a performance of Mozart’s beloved masterpiece The Magic Flute in this illustrated introduction to opera—with 12 sound buttons! As the story unfolds readers learn about the essential parts of opera—voice parts like soprano and tenor; vocal techniques like recitative and melisma; arias, the orchestra, the chorus, sets, costumes, plot, and more.
Plus, 12 interactive sound buttons let readers hear examples of the musical concepts as they read: a soprano sings a heartfelt aria, a powerful bass sings recitative, and the chorus harmonizes during the dramatic finale!
Reviews
"Every child will want to see the opera after reading this book! Welcome to the Opera provides a fun, engaging narrative and visual Journey that will be music to any arts lover's ears."
- Anthony Roth Costanzo, Grammy-Award-Winning Countertenor, Actor, Producer and Metropolitan Opera Star
"Carolyn Sloan's delightful Welcome to the Opera book is exactly that - a warm welcome to opera. With details filling every page, humor, easy to understand language, this book will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike and it most certainly will inspire them to attend the opera!"
- Sasha Cooke, two-time Grammy-award winning Mezzo-Soprano. Ms. Cooke has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Gran Teatre del Liceu, among others
"Welcome to the Opera is a wonderfully engaging interactive story to learn more about the Opera....This story has themes and illustrations that are fun for the preschooler and complex enough that an elementary-age child would also enjoy it. This book could inspire children to learn more about Opera, this specific play, theater, and music."
- Connie Reid, Site manager, YA and Kids Book Central, read full review
"Welcome to the Opera is an absolutely delightful and educational picture book...
The book teaches about the elements of storytelling like plot, costumes, and sets, as well as the features of the music, such as the orchestra, voice types (eg, soprano, alto, tenor), and choruses (eg, quintets, the finale). The approachable language, colorful illustrations, and sound buttons that demonstrate these elements add to the experience of this fantastic read!"
- Olivia Farr, Assistant Blog Manager and staff reviewer, YA and Kids Book Central, read full review
Retailers
The book is available wherever books are sold and online here:
Podcasts
Carolyn Sloan talks about Welcome to the Opera in these podcasts: