Imagine a rainy Wisconsin Saturday on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin. A six-year-old girl is not feeling well and is relaxing on the sofa while her five-year-old brother is sitting near her watching cartoons. Mom is busy with her week at a half brother while Dad is in the barn tending the cows. The oldest boy (five years old) reminds Mom that he needs to read ten minutes each day to color her reading chart. A smile spreads across Mom’s face and she gladly turns off the television and opens her Kindle. She had almost forgotten about the new book that she had intended to read with the children weeks before. With the baby in one arm and the Kindle in the other, Mom calls the children to sit at her feet while she rocks in the rocking chair.

Mom announced the title: Angelina’s Concertina, and the children looked at her sideways, not quite knowing what a concertina was. Instead of explaining too much too soon, Mom assured the children that they would figure it out if they listened carefully and promised to show them each of the brightly colored pictures as the story was told.

It didn’t take long and one of the children asked “is a concertina like an accordion mom?” and the other commented “Grandma has an accordion, right?”. The children listened carefully as the story progressed and even chimed in on the chorus/song about Angelina playing her concertina ooh la la! It was decided that Grandma’s dress was beautiful and that the children were bullies. When the story was over, the conversation became even livelier (at least from Mom’s point of view) as the children talked about what they had learned:

• It’s never too late to say you’re sorry

• You shouldn’t make fun of how other people do things

• Don’t be afraid to make music even if nobody likes it

Mom closed the book with a smile knowing that Angelina’s Concertina would be shared over and over again. What a wonderful story with exquisite illustrations and fabulous lessons. Kudos to Gina Cialkoszewski-Kabat for sharing this story and to Courtney Matthies for illustrating it. This is a great book for children of a variety of ages!

It is always a pleasure to find a book that children enjoy as much as old books like The Cat in the Hat or The Secret Garden. I appreciate the thought that went into Angelina’s Concertina, as well as the message that the children clearly understood.