Shortlisted for the 2019 Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards
A fun-loving book about the wonderful world of music and of noisy play!
Reece is a very cheeky, curious young boy who loves making NOISE. Today he’s making music. There are lots of interesting clangs, bangs and thumps coming from his room as his playing gets more and more vigorous.
His mother’s requests for him to be quieter only seem to make him louder and louder. As his exuberance for his playing grows, so does his mothers exasperation!
Will she ever get any peace?
The simple rhythmic text combined with delightful illustrations remind us of the power of learning through play and exploration. Kids will love making the lively sounds, and parents and carers will relate to the challenge of being able to enjoy some quiet; especially when there are instruments at play!
Mrs B’s Book Reviews –
Reece Give Me Some Peace is the first picture book for the eight years and under age group that I have encountered that provides a fantastic early link to the musical world, which is very pleasing. This is the perfect medium for introducing children to the vocabulary around musical instruments. There is a good sense of anticipation in this text, as we question and wonder what new instrument will appear next. The author of Reece Give Me Some Peace, Sonia Bestulic, works hard to incorporate as many common musical instruments as she can within this text. With this in mind, I believe Reece Give Me Some Peace would make the ideal teaching tool and side accompaniment for early musical experiences.
As an early childhood educator, I am always on the lookout for new ways to teach concepts of rhyme and rhythm. Reece Give Me Some Peace is a good example of a book that subtly tunes children in to the infectious combination of alliteration, language play, rhyme and rhythm, all within the one text.
Just Kids Lit –
In this comical riot of rollicking rhythm, amiable alliteration and an onomatopoeia oomph, author Sonia Bestulic cleverly integrates an auditory blend of language patterns and play with words. Her story, including Reece’s instrumental pitch, and his mum’s instrumental frustration, build up like a rising crescendo to a dramatic climax, and then fall softly to a satisfying, ‘peaceful’ finale. Nancy Bevington does the same with her brilliantly supported illustrations; with colour and movement that become more intense, and characters shown either in their element or in their exasperation (I love the inclusion of the poor, jittery cat). The blue and yellow hues aptly create this sense of contrasting opinions on volume, flashed with white sparks of energy emanating from every page
Missie Loves Books –
I thoroughly enjoyed this picture book. It took me back to the days when my kids were little, and when my nephews would visit and “play” the piano, drums, ukulele, and any other musical instruments that were lying around – all day long!
This book has repetitive phrases that little kids will enjoy learning and repeating with whoever is reading the story with them, as well as introduced kids to a variety of instruments including the traditional xylophone and drum as well as the flute, violin, and cello.
There are throw backs to the early days of learning an instrument when the sound is more noise and enthusiasm than music. Remembering those early days, both when my kids were starting to learn music and when I did, brought an added enjoyment to this story.
This is a fun book that everyone will enjoy, and a brilliant addition to any picture book library. For all those who are creating a music picture book collection, this one should be included too.
shire talk –
Sonia shares a natural gift for empowering those with children in their lives, to embrace their own personal growth.
https://shiretalk.com.au/sonia-bestulic/