The One about the Blackbird by Melanie Florence illustrated by Matt James

Please begin here - listening (no visuals) to the famous Beatles Song - Blackbird.

This is a very special Canadian picture book exploring an intergenerational relationship between a grandfather and his grandson. This book is only 32 pages but over the pages we watch as a young boy moves through is teenage years and into adulthood. His grandfather plays Blackbird on his guitar and then he patiently teaches his grandson Jack how hold, then how to form chords, on a guitar.

Image Source: Matt James

"I can't do it. It's too hard,' he said, pushing the guitar back towards his grandfather. 'If it was easy, everyone would do it,' his grandfather said kindly. 'Keep trying'.

Jack does try. He learns more chords and keeps practicing until eventually he can play whole songs. 

"Jack went from playing the guitar in his living room to playing for crowds of people all over the world."

Even though he lives and works far away, Jack still comes back to visit his grandfather. At this point the story goes full circle. With advanced age and perhaps memory loss Jack's grandfather has trouble getting his fingers to work on his old guitar - the guitar that was once his but that has now travelled around the world.  When his grandfather struggles he reminds him:

"If it was easy, everyone would do it,' Jack told him. His grandfather nodded, like he had heard those words before."

The Teacher-Librarian in the school where I volunteer shared this book with her Grade Two students today. It was fun listening to the way these kids, born in 2019, had no idea about vinyl records - the Teacher-Librarian had an old record to show the kids - one child suggested it could be a frisbee and another, who had seen a record before, knew you should not run your fingers over the surface. I kept wishing the library had an old turntable so the children could gain an idea of how records work. It is odd to think these kids also possibly have no idea about CDs (or videos!).

Publisher blurb: A young boy learns to play guitar from his grandfather, and the one about the blackbird is their favorite song. Years later, the boy visits his grandfather, and while his grandfather doesn’t recognize him, now grown-up, he does still remember how to hold a guitar. A beautiful full circle moment ensues when the boy plays his grandfather their favorite song. The moving text and dynamic, gorgeous art celebrate the connection that music can create between two people and the joy that music, and the shared love of it, can bring at any age.

A hymn to intergenerational ties. Kirkus

Like the blackbird of that song, the boy, and later young man, learned to fly. He learned to take flight in song and in life, gathering knowledge at the feet of one who knew how. And when that knowledge wanes, as happens with time and age, that grandson helps his beloved grandfather hear the song again. Can Lit for Little Canadians

You can see more books illustrated by Matt James here. Matt James is a painter, author/illustrator, and musician whose books include Yellow Moon, Apple Moon by Pamela Porter (New Mexico Book Award); I Know Here by Laurel Croza (Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award); When the Moon Comes by Paul Harbridge (Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award); and I Know How to Draw an Owl by Hilary Horder Hippely. Matt’s illustrations for Northwest Passage, a tribute to the Stan Rogers song, won the Governor General’s Literary Award. The books Matt has written include Tadpoles, Nice Try, Charlie!, and his author-illustrator debut, The Funeral, which was named a New York Times and New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book. As a child, Matt James liked to trace comics and pretend that tennis racquets were guitars—now he lives in Toronto and behaves more like a grown-up.

Here is the web page for Melanie Florence. Melanie Florence is a Canadian author of Cree and Scottish heritage. She lives in Toronto. 

This book was purchased in Canada while we were travelling there for the 2026 IBBY Congress. Sadly here in Australia this book will probably be too beyond your library budget but perhaps you can persude your local public library to purchase a copy. 

Hari's Bones by Danny Parker illustrated by Rache Antonio with music by Matt Ottley

Hari is a cautious girl. She shuns danger because she wants to stay safe. She needs to avoid physical and emotional harm. Hari holds all her bones in a bag but she does have dreams and she certainly doesn't just sit around doing nothing. She can see things to explore in the world and beyond and so she flies her kite, uses a net to gather feathers and from her feather seat she watches the unfolding universe and constellations. But then the day comes when Hari needs to break out of her safety bubble.

The kids call out to her. Hari is standing in the outfield of the ball game, and the ball is heading her way. She needs to catch it but this is risky. Hari will need to overcome her fears, grab that ball and run. Doing this she makes an amazing discovery:

"She peaked at her bones - not a scratch! Her eyes sparkled."

Hari finds she can join in - she can dodge and hop and swerve and spin and splash and still be okay. It seems her dream of reaching the moon might now come true, so it is time to work her plans (blueprints) and models. Her future is filled with endless possibilities.

When you reach the final page of this book - please stop and ponder the final end paper. It shows a small paper aeroplane moving over the night sky and reaching high to the stars showing the endless possibilities Hari can now enjoy. Now go back to the first spread - this same image has been used to open this story showing Hari always had the potential to follow her dreams. These two images beautifully book end the story.

Bookseller blurb: A story for the curious. Hari is always trying to avoid trouble, but one day, trouble comes to find her. To her surprise, the very things she's done to stay safe become her superpowers. A story for the curious, gentle risk-takers, those who suspect there is more to adventure than climbing up and jumping off. Written by the award-winning author Danny Parker and illustrated by emerging illustrator Rache Antonio this children's picture book includes original music composed by acclaimed artist, Matt Ottley, with text narrated by the author.

This is a picture book for slightly older readers. I think many kids (and even some adults) will relate to these words from the text (I certainly did) and this quote could be a terrific way to open a conversation with your library group:

"Hari wouldn't climb a tree, wasn't tempted by trampolines, bicycles, skateboards or scooters."

Whether you share this book with younger children so they learn that being curious, creative, imaginative and quiet as they discover their world is perfectly acceptable, or with older children to help them understand how working towards their aspirations of the future helps shape who they are now, it is a must-have for any collection devoted to student well-being, identity and self-acceptance. A Book and a Hug

Something I often think about is the way an illustrator is sent the text for a picture book - perhaps just typed on one sheet of paper. In the case of Hair's Bones, the art of Rache Antonio works so well to extend the text and to add a rich additional layer of meaning to the story. Take a look at the terrific teachers notes from Scholastic which also include sample illustrations. 

It would be good to share Hair's Bones alongside another book by Danny Parker. I am sure it is no coincidence that this book from 2016 was illustrated by Matt Ottley:

Read more about Danny Parker here

I recently talked about Dany Parker's book Perfect illustrated by Freya Blackwood

Matt Ottely has created a musical accompaniment to enjoy alongside this book (there's a QR code at the back of Hari's Bones) and others. Matt did not do the art in this new book, but it does invite comparison with several of his previous titles which are also part of his "The Sound of Picture Books" project. Read more here. Our 2026 CBCA slogan is 'Symphony of Stories' - this work by Matt Ottley would be so perfect to share as you explore this theme - his work to add orchestral scores while the audience enjoy visuals from his books is an extraordinary experience.

Stickboy

How to make a bird

Teacup

You can see art from Hari's Bones and hear the music by Matt Ottley on the book trailer. 

IBBY Australia nominated Matt Ottley for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen award in 2024 and back in 2019 I shared his work at the Texas Book festival. Thanks to Matt Ottley for sending me a review copy of Hari's Bones. 

In a previous blog post, I talked about how much I enjoyed the music Matt Ottely composed to go with the splendid book Dumazi and the Big Yellow Lion. 

Dumazi and the Big Yellow Lion

I also need to mention the beautiful art in Hair's Bones which comes from a new illustrator- Rache Antonio. She has been illustrating children’s books since 2022 as a means of capturing the wonder, humour, depth and complexity of the human spirit, and the world we live in. She has a degree in Fashion Design and Applied Arts from ECA and has worked in fashion, costume, music festival production and illustration.  Born and raised in rural Scotland, she now lives and works in Somerset, UK.

Book Week challenges 2026

Image source: CBCA merchandise

This is controversial but I am not a fan of Book Week dress up days or parades.  I think Book Week should be a celebration of books, reading, libraries and creative thinking, so in my school, as an alternate activity, I used to set four Book Week challenges. Sometimes kids worked on these during breaks and sometimes teachers allowed their class to complete a challenge in class time. 

My rules are simple but of course you can set your own:

• the challenge must be completed during the school day (not at home)
• the deadline for entries is 3.25pm each day
• label your work with your name and class
• up to ten winners will be announced each morning and they will each received a small prize bag there are also certificates for highly commended and commended entries
• you can visit a showcase of entries in the library during Book Week and beyond

Here are ten challenges I have created for 2026 around the slogan 'Symphony of Stories'.  Please feel free to use, adapt, adopt etc.  I suggest selecting four challenges that appeal to and you could set one each day over four days of Book Week. It takes a long time (at night) to sift through the hundreds of entries but it is also fun. I think it is important to maintain the excitement by announcing winners each day and then displaying them in your library.

Here are my 2026 ideas:

Your library needs an advertising jingle – write a song using a well-known nursery rhyme tune that encourages the youngest children to read a book or borrow a book or share a book

Books can be other shapes – not just rectangles. Make a three-page book in the shape of a musical instrument – it will need a title, cover, title page, one story page and a back cover with a blurb or for bonus points make a pop-up book that looks like an instrument

Puzzle me a puzzle – use the letters of the 2026 CBCA book week slogan 'Symphony of Stories' to design a puzzle such as a find-a-word, cross word, or a code to solve

Using music staves as your lines write the first line of your story – make it large enough to fill a whole page ready to display in the library

The members of the orchestra have heaps of spare time – make a list of instruments and suggest a great book for each player to read and present your work as a poster to display in their rehearsal room

Write a short story (one page only) that features music or musical instruments (perhaps a musical instrument could be the main character)

Illustrate the book cover for a new book which features a musical instrument or a song and add the title, plus the author and illustrator names (be inventive with these names if you like).

Design a game that includes some of the 2026 short listed picture books – it might be snakes and ladders, or a simple version of monopoly, or a card game perhaps

Choose a book that can be made into a movie – write a proposal in the form of a letter to a famous movie director suggesting which book could be a movie and which music they should use for the movie soundtrack. Did you know the movie Babe uses music by a famous composer Camille Saint-Saëns and his Symphony number 3 and Star Wars uses music from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and Bluey also has classical music in the episode called Sleepytime from a piece called The Planets. The book you choose for this challenge could be a personal favourite or even one of the 2026 CBCA shortlisted titles.

I penned a post linking classical music and children's books a few months ago. And this post about an elephant and a piano in Thailand might also give you some inspiration. 

Happy Book Week

One Sweet Song by Jyoti Rajan Gopal illustrated by Sonia Sanchez

A joyful celebration of music and community. Kirkus

Bookseller blurb: In a quiet neighborhood, a single note trills through the air. Another note joins, and then another. One by one, curious people are drawn to their windows, doorways, and balconies to support the medley. Professional musicians play instruments from around the world, while others bang pots and pans. All are welcome as the notes swirl and dip and crescendo, coming together to make one sweet song. And when the music fades and this diverse neighborhood is once again silent, the reverberations of unity remain. Written by a kindergarten teacher and inspired by the balcony singing in Italy during the pandemic—with a countdown from one to ten and back gently woven in—this rhythmic synergy of text and art is a buoyant, global-minded celebration of how music connects us, even in the darkest of times.

Do you remember some of the special parts of those Covid-19 lockdowns? I know it was a complex time but there were tiny moments of community joy such as people who placed teddy bears in their windows, chalk drawn games on the footpath, and shared music. 

Here in my street on ANZAC day, at dawn, someone played their trumpet and others joined in with sounds of the bird dawn chorus as an accompaniment - it was a magical morning.

In Italy and other countries people played music on balconies joining their sounds together into shared pieces and that is the premise of this story. As a bonus this book is a counting book one to ten and back again so it will appeal to very young children and many of the musical instruments are sure to be unfamiliar to your library group so there is also scope with this book for further exploration of instruments from around the world. AND you must link this book with the CBCA 2026 Book Week slogan Symphony of Stories. Instruments in this story: ghatam, flute, triangle, drums, cello, and a morsing. 

This lyrical counting book uses rhyme and color to celebrate the power of music and connection.  Rich vocabulary in charming couplets make for a delightful read aloud and the premise of the story is sure to inspire conversations about community and how to add more beauty in our everyday lives.  Vibrant, joyous digital illustrations depict a diverse group of neighbors of various ages and family units sharing their talents and instruments, and readers will love finding their favorite characters on each page spread.  YS Book Reviews

You can see more books by Jyoti Rajan Gopal here and other books illustrated by Sonia Sanchez:

Evelyn del Rey is Moving Away

The Paper Piano by Rachel Ip illustrated by Natelle Quek

Publisher blurb: When Noah hears beautiful piano music sweeping through the train station, he longs to play. Without a piano of his own, he carefully crafts one out of paper, and the notes fill his head night and day. Until finally, with the help of a neighbour, his musical dream comes true . . . An inspirational picture book about the power of perseverance and music, celebrating the joy that railway station pianos can bring to all.

Take a look at the labels I have assigned to this post - Piano (yes Noah hears a piano and then really wants to learn how to play. Other suggested instruments just won't satisfy him); Determination (his mum says he has to wait until he is older but Noah does not want to wait so he makes a paper piano); Kindness (thank goodness for the neighbour who has a piano and even better she agrees to help Noah learn); and finally Practice (Noah loves playing, but playing well is not an instant process. He is happy to practice and then one day he is also able to perform just like the person he originally saw at the railway station). 

Image source: Natelle Quek

I have the 'idea' of buying a piano on my own wish list. I did have one as a child. This sweet picture book makes me think I should act on this and stop dreaming. If you are gathering books to share with your library group as a way to explore the 2026 Book Week slogan - Symphony of Stories - make sure you add this book to your collection. It will be a perfect one to share with your younger students and then I would find some beautiful piano music to share as a way to think about the music that Noah hears, loves and then performs. You could also perhaps share some a short extract or two from the recent ABC and BBC television programs about playing pianos in public spaces.

Make sure you stop and notice the end papers - it's the handmade piano keyboard made by Noah. I found that image very poignant.

Here is some music for piano that I love that you might use with this book. Just play snippets to give your library group a soundscape to enjoy with this story:

Clair de Lune – Claude Debussy (video)

Gymnopédie No. 1 – Erik Satie (video)

Chopin – Nocturne in E flat major (Op. 9, No. 2) (video)

There are lots more you could share here.

Rachel Ip is an award-winning picture book author and author ambassador for Bring Me a Book Hong Kong, the leading family literacy charity in Hong Kong. Rachel was born in the UK and also lived in France and Belgium before moving to Hong Kong 15 years ago. The Forgettery won the 2022 English Association Picture Book Awards and The Last Garden was longlisted for the 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize and won the Crystal Kite Award for Middle East, India, and Asia.

The Forgettery

Natelle Quek is a Malaysian-born illustrator who grew up in New Zealand and now lives in leafy Southeast England with her husband, an apathetic cat, and a loud-snoring dog. Natelle currently focuses on children's illustration, in particular picture books, young fiction, and non-fiction. She loves to use bold colours and cinematic perspectives to draw audiences into her worlds. Here is her Instagram account.

I am Nefertiti

I am keen to see this book too

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Image source: Bedtime stories

Thinking about music in stories and the 2026 CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) slogan which is Symphony of Stories led me to think about this classic story The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

The Legend in Brief: According to the legend, Hamelin was plagued by rats and hired a travelling piper to rid the town of the infestation. Playing a strange, compelling tune, he drew the rats from houses and streets and led them out of the town, where they were drowned in the river. When the work was done, the piper returned to claim his payment. The town refused. Whether from greed, distrust, or disbelief in the power of his music, the agreed reward was withheld. In response, the piper played again—this time a different melody. Children followed him as the rats had done before, leaving the town in a silent procession. They were never seen again.

The tale has been retold by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Brothers Grimm, and Robert Browning. Hamelin is a real town in Germany and visitors there can find all sorts of things relating to this story including street performers dressed as the piper and even a bakery with 'rat' cookies. Background reading for teachers - StorytellingDB.

Here is an extract from the Robert Browning poem:

Once more he stept into the street;
   And to his lips again
Laid his long pipe of smooth straight cane;
   And ere he blew three notes (such sweet
Soft notes as yet musician's cunning
   Never gave th'enraptured air)
There was a rustling, that seem'd like a bustling
Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling,
Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering,
Little hands clapping, and little tongues chattering,
And, like fowls in a farm-yard when barley is scattering,
Out came the children running.
All the little boys and girls,
With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls,
And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls,
Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after
The wonderful music with shouting and laughter.

Take a look at this post from Kinderbookswitheverything. In my search for versions of The Pied Piper I was surprised to discover how many 'reading schemes' used this story to create a simple easy 'reader' for young children - this is surprising because this famous story has such a sad, perhaps even disturbing and certainly unresolved ending. 

Your library is sure to have one or two versions of this famous story that you could share:

This version has 112 pages

Read more about Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark

Meanwhile this version has 32 pages

This Australian picture book has minimal text and haunting illustrations

This one has fabulous illustrations by Jane Ray - 

A wordless version from a reading program.

Illustration by Jane Ray

This is a simple version for young children with only 24 pages

Lift-the-flap from Child's Play

The author says: My revision replaces the original’s cruelty and revenge with respect, 

friendship, and equality.

This book is from 1994 and is an illustrated version of the Robert Browning poem

Frequently Asked questions (from History Medieval):

1) What is the Pied Piper of Hamelin?

It’s a medieval legend from Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, about a pipe-playing stranger who leads away the town’s children after a dispute over payment (rats are a later add-on in many versions).

2) What is the earliest historical record of the story?

The earliest mentions are associated with local memory (often linked to a now-lost stained-glass window in Hamelin’s church, described in later accounts), while the earliest commonly cited written record is a Hamelin town entry dated 1384 noting that “it is 100 years since our children left.”

3) Did the Black Death cause the Pied Piper story?

It’s a popular modern interpretation (rats → plague symbolism), but it’s historically shaky because the Black Death’s major wave reached Europe in the mid-14th century, well after the legend’s anchor date of 1284.

4) Where did the children supposedly go?

Later tellings vary: some say they vanished into a hillside or cave; others suggest they were led away “east”. Modern historical theories have proposed organised migration/colonisation, accident, conflict, or other local catastrophe—but none is proven.

5) Is it true that music and dancing are banned on Bungelosenstrasse?

Bungelosenstrasse is widely described as the “street without drums”, traditionally linked to where the children were last seen, and many modern accounts repeat that music/dancing are avoided there.

6) When did the story become famous outside Germany?

It spread widely through later literary retellings—most famously Robert Browning’s poem “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, first published in 1842, which helped fix the story in the English-speaking imagination.

The Elephant and the Piano by Colette Hiller illustrated by Habila Adani

"As the music floated up into the air, Bonti shifted and swayed. 

He made delicate shapes with his trunk and circles on the group with his foot."

Bookseller blurb: Some stories are true. Others are make-believe. And some true stories are so amazing that it seems they must be make-believe even when they are not... This is one of those stories. In a sanctuary in Thailand lived an elephant called Bonti. Short-tempered and destructive, Bonti was alone - the other elephants (and humans) knew to keep their distance. But when a musician came to play the piano for Bonti, something incredible happened... The Elephant and the Piano tells the spectacular true story of Paul Barton and the elephants who loved to hear him play.

Here is the website for the author where you can read more about this book. The illustrator Nabila Adani lives in Jakarta Indonesia. I previously talked about her book Noah's New Home.

This story is based on the true story of Paul Barton who took a piano into the jungle in Thailand. Watch this video (it runs for 20 minutes and could be useful for teachers and it does have advertising sorry).

In 2011 Paul visited a sanctuary called Elephant's World. There he met an older elephant who seemed sad and withdrawn. Paul wondered if music might help him feel better. And it turns out, it did! ... Since then Paul has played piano for many elephants. If you have time the true story of this book was made into a documentary called 'Music for Elephants'.  Here is the trailer.

The Elephant and the Piano is a picture book that you might just read once and perhaps not think about too deeply but then you will reach the final pages with back notes about this true story and that is sure to pique the interest of your class or young reading companion. There is so much more to this book than just a simple story of a man playing a piano for an elephant. This is a book that warrants deeper exploration of the true story and with older students it will raise issues of animal welfare, exploitation, and even cruelty. 

Which piano pieces would you play to an elephant?  This could be a terrific discussion to have with your class or music group. I can imagine sharing five or six choices and then asking your students to pick the one they think an elephant would respond to and perhaps even enjoy. In this video he plays Elgar and Beethoven (6 minutes you could show part of this to your class); and in this video he plays Chopin, Bach and Schubert.  You could so easily link this book and the music with our 2026 CBCA slogan "Symphony of Stories". Why not listen to Sans Saens: The Elephant from Carnival of the Animals - this video has visuals for younger students (Cello and Piano).

Further reading:

ABC Classic

Green Matters

Animalko

Sometimes stories are make-believe, other times they are true. This is one of the latter even though it might well appear to be imagined. Books for Keeps

Hiller’s text strikes an ideal balance, providing enough detail to ground the story while maintaining a gentle, accessible pace for young readers. The backmatter enriches the narrative with information about the real Paul Barton, whose ongoing work playing piano for rescue elephants continues today. This inspiring account demonstrates how one person’s compassion and creativity can profoundly impact even the most angst-ridden soul. Kirkus

Something else you could think about in relation to this book if you work in a school library. Where will you put this book? It is a based on a true story so I agree with the library where I found this book because they have put it with other stories about elephants and not into their huge fiction/picture book collection. People talk about abandoning Dewey as a way to organise books in a school library but personally I feel Dewey is a good system especially if you use it with numbers after the decimal point and you of course make it work for your collection and your students. [636.96] is the Dewey number for zoo animals and elephants and the addition of one more number correctly puts this book with other books about the care of elephants (animal husbandry) [636.967]. At this same number and so on the same shelf you will find these three books (and probably others):

How to Move a Zoo

A Symphony of Stories - Read a Picture Book

Sonam and the Silence

In all of my former libraries I really enjoyed exploring the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Book Week Slogans. I have listed some previous slogans later in this post. Thinking about Symphony of Stories I thought of a few very special picture books which you could read in your library as a way to explore music in stories. 

These could also be terrific books to share with your teachers - each class could explore one of these titles and then you could hold a sharing time perhaps at a Book Week Assembly. I have put a mix of books here - old, new; Australian; and suitable for Kindy right up to Grade 6. In many of the posts I have included the sheet music or links to videos/sound files so you can hear the music.

Check out these Pinterest collections. Book Week 2026; Songs in Picture Books; Carnival of the Animals; and Music Noise and Movement; 

Herman and Rosie

Dimity Dumpty

Little Puggle's Song

Mr Mornington's Favourite Things

Violin and Cello

The Song for Everyone

The Piano Recital

Pepi sings a new song

The man with the Violin

Little Night Cat

Heart and Soul

The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup

The Fearsome Five

The Moon's Revenge

Previous Book Week Slogans:

2025 Book an Adventure

2024 Reading is Magic

2023 Read, Grow, Inspire

2022 Dreaming with eyes open…

2021 Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds

2020 Curious Creatures, Wild Minds

2019 Reading is My Secret Power

2018 Find Your Treasure

2017 Escape to Everywhere

2016 Australia: Story Country

2015 Books light up our world

2014 Connect to reading

2013 Read across the Universe

2012 Champions Read

2011 One World, Many Stories

2010 Across the Story Bridge

2009 Book Safari

2008 Fuel Your Mind

2007 READiscover

2006 Book Now!

2005 Reading Rocks!

2004 Doorways

2003 Oceans of Stories

2002 Book Week – Book Feast

2001 2001: A Book Odyssey

2000 The Edge of Tomorrow

1999 Weave the Book Web

1998 Put Yourself in the Picture

1997 Bookaleidoscope

1996 Anywhere Anytime Anybook

1995 Celebrate with Stories

1994 Carnival of Books

1993 Go Under Cover

1992 Windows into Worlds

1991 Book into the Future

1990 Imagine if you will….

1989 Dream Time

1988 A Page of History

1987 Sail Away with books

1986 Key into Books