Bantam of the Opera

Mary Jane Auch has written a charming picture book, purportedly for kids. "Bantam" does double-duty, however, as a fine coffee table item for opera lovers. The depictions of opera audience and opera cast are right on, and anybody with a sense of humor combined with a taste for opera, will love this. I gave it as a gift to an adult, where it was well-received.

Luigi might have been hatched a bantam rooster, but he clearly has the soul of a great musician who is quickly bored crowing the same old thing every morning. The head rooster disapproves of such showing off, so Luigi goes off farther a field each day so he can sing what he wants without being heard. That is how he first happens to hear the opera music coming from the radio inside the farmer's house. Every day Luigi sings along with the operas on the radio and learns his favorite aria, "La donna e mobile" from "Rigoletto," by heart. Then comes the wonderful day that the radio announced that the Cosmopolitan Opera Company was coming to the local city for three performances of "Rigoletto," and when the farmer and his wife head to the city Luigi slips into the back of their truck.Of course, Luigi wants to do more than just see the opera, he wants to sing along, and the chief fun in "Bantam of the Opera" is finding out how he is going to get his chance to be an opera star (the solution is something that comes naturally, in a manner of speaking, to chickens). This picture book for young readers is written and illustrated by Mary Jane Auch, who has done other books featuring extremely talented chickens, such as "Hen Lake" and "Peeping Beauty." That last one is obviously the most likely of this particular trio of titles where young readers will instantly recognize the original source material that Auch is fowling, er, I mean, fooling around with. But if these other books lead young readers to check out an opera or a ballet, this would not be a bad thing.

Luigi, the barnyard bantam rooster, is bored with plain old "Cock-a-doodle-do." He has aspirations of arias. His favorite is "La donna è mobile" from *Rigoletto.* He loves singing it: "Cock-a-la- DOOdle-lay! Cock-a-la-DOOdle-low!" and he may have his shot at becoming a contender, if the Opera's jealous tenor doesn't carry through with his threat to carve him into cacciatore!This is fun book for all, richly enhanced by the author's vibrant illustrations.

Colorful, funny something for everyone; but if you're an adult who enjoys opera, you'll get extra delight in reading this book to a little one. If you not an opera buff you'll still enjoy the story and art work!

As a school librarian and storyteller, I have had a ball with this story. For storytelling I changed it to first person and added a little accent and had the kids laughing. Even my teachers enjoyed this one. This one is as much fun to tell a Auch's Peeping Beauty.