Author: Tickle, Jessica Courtney

Interest age: from c 5 years

Published on 2 May 2024 by Quarto Publishing Plc (Frances Lincoln Children's Books) in the United Kingdom as part of 'The Story Orchestra' series.

Hardback | 24 pages
273 x 311 x 17 | 548g

Discover the fairy-tale magic of Peter and the Wolf in this musical reimagining of one of Prokofiev’s most famous and classic compositions. Push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Prokofiev’s score.

Peter and the Wolf is a story about a young boy called Peter who lives with his grandfather.

His grandfather warns him about being outside because a wolf roams the woods. However, when the wolf threatens Peter’s animal friends – a duck, a bird and his grandfather's cat – he decides to ignore his grandfather's warning and save them.

As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the score. Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the sounds, encouraging interactive learning and introducing children to this beautiful piece of music.

The soothing natural scenes are illustrated impeccably, with sweeping greenery and orange, summery landscapes spreads across each page. Follow the adventurous Peter as he explores the woods for the first time.

At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Sergei Prokofiev, with details about his composition of Peter and the Wolf. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms.

The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through illustrated retellings of classic ballet, opera and program music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores.

Also available in the Story Orchestra series: Four Seasons in One Day, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Carnival of the Animals, The Magic Flute, In the Hall of the Mountain King, I Can Play (vol 1) and The Planets.