The Cardboard Piano
Grade 1–3—The course of true friendship does not always run smooth, as Debbie and Tina discover. Although the girls enjoy rolling down hills, sleepovers on the lawn, riding bikes together (no-handed), they don't always agree on how to spend their time. That predicament reaches a crisis when Debbie, who's taking piano lessons, makes a cardboard keyboard for her friend so that the two of them can play duets. Tina gives it back—citing a lack of interest—and Debbie is crushed. Ultimately, the girls make up and by story's end their ongoing companionship is back in full swing. Perkins's "cardboard piano" derives from an incident (related briefly on the copyright page) about the celebrated composer Sergei Rachmaninoff who practiced on a silent piano while crossing the Atlantic. While the connection is a bit esoteric, it is handled in a totally child-centric way. However, the introduction of a new character on the last several pages seems contrived to make things right. Still, the necessity of understanding differences between friends may hit the right chord when needed most or work well in group situations where the message can be gently absorbed. Perkins's clear-toned watercolors touched with pen lines attractively appear in varied-sized spot illustrations. And the conversation bubbles that she injects in addition to the ongoing narrative nicely carry the story forward. The book includes a DVD, animated and narrated by the author.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.