The story reads like a blues tune, full of rhythm, pathos, and themes of railroads and lost homes. Gil, a small black pig leaves home with his trumpet, walking by day and playing his trumpet to the stars all night. All goes well until white Wolf hears the trumpet and threatens Gil's food, shelter, safety and, worst of all, music. Gil flees several times until finally, determined to earn money he plays in the streets, cafes, and night clubs until he can build himself a brick house. Cresp writes a tale children will enjoy with adult themes that never get in the way.
Young children love to sing a book and they have opportunity to do so with three new song books.
Two old classics have been newly illustrated. Hort teams up with illustrator G. Brian Karas to show the kind of disasters when animals steal the show. Two recent books have music tucked inside their covers. Guthrie wrote these songs for his daughter and they are filled with children's feelings, and silly sounds which make the songs dynamic and easy to learn. The performance cast is broad in terms of talents, instruments and voices.