The Harmonica

Despite its appearance as a picture book, The Harmonica generally would work best with a slightly older audience, generally upper elementary. Tony Johnston covers the challenging topic of Nazi concentration camps with sensitivity, sharing the struggles of those involved without overwhelming young minds. Its beautiful pictures certainly will interest all readers, but the color scheme matches the darker content of the story. The School Library Journal review states that the story "makes a case for the power of music/art to support and sustain humanity". It is difficult to disagree with this statement when considering music in particular. There needs to be no understanding of language to appreciate music, just a willingness to share in the passion and humanness of the composer who wrote it. This is what ultimately binds all the people in this story, and beyond, together.

Sometimes a book falls into your hands that you know will carve a road through your heart before you open it. In this case, from the cover illustration and title, I knew that Tony Johnston's picture book; THE HARMONICA would be such a read. Inspired by the true story of Henryk Rosmaryn, this picture book takes readers on a journey through the nightmare of the Holocaust. The story itself is poignant, painful and full of the hope that human beings find in the worst of times. Our narrator is a young boy with the gift of music who lives in Poland. Despite their poverty, his father acquires a harmonica for him. But this joyous time is short lived when the Nazi's arrive, tearing his parents away and sending him off to live in a concentration camp. A commandant hears him playing Schubert on the harmonica one night and demands the boy to play for him every night in exchange for bread. Ultimately, the boy finds strength through his playing and realizes it is a way to give his fellow prisoners hope in the darkness. There are, of course, many books on this subject-many good books. I think I can safely say this joins their ranks. Ms. Johnston's simple, lyrical text is both poetic and harsh in its narration. That is evident from the opening lines "I cannot remember my father's face, or my mother's, but I remember their love, warm and enfolding as a song." The text never falters, and never becomes overwrought. With a large font, and only a few lines per page, the story unfolds more like a poem than a straight narrative. This is illustrator Ron Mazellan's first children's book, and it is a stunning achievement. With a mixture of art mediums, the images come to life in rich color and texture. Characters are drawn in high detail while the backgrounds are more sparse and indistinct giving the entire story a slightly dream-like quality, which goes well with Johnston's lyrical text. In the earlier, happier pictures, the images are a wash of warm golds and browns. As the Nazi's encroach up on the picture, the washes turn to grays, and purples and blues. And then the warmth begins the come back in as he remembers his family and embraces the music. So much of the story is conveyed by the emotion in these pictures, that a reader can take a long time studying a single image before turning the page. At the very back of the book, there is a note that this book was inspired by the true story of Henryk Rosmaryn who survived the hardships of the concentration camps and made his way to the United States, where he continued to play his harmonica to inspire others. This is not a story for a young child. Picture books are not always for beginning readers or toddlers, this story is not happy, and while there is a positive message within the music, there is no satisfactory conclusion for a youngster. There is no happy reunion for the boy and his family; there is no come-uppence for the violent commandant. The book does not offer resolutions or reassuran

A semi-finalists in the 2005 Independent Publisher Book Awards! A young Polish boy, living with his parents in a house filled with love and music, yearns for a piano so he can play the music of his favorite composer, Schubert. But the family is poor, and it is the gift of a harmonica that lets the boy make music - until the Nazis find them. Torn from his parents, the boy plays his harmonica in his concentration camp to keep from forgetting what once was and from losing all hope. When the camp commandant hears of his musical prowess, the boy is forced to play for the Nazi. Ashamed of receiving scraps of bread from the officer while others starve, he eventually hears heartfelt thanks from another prisoner. He realizes that, "Each night, like the very stars, my notes had reached other prisoners." From then on, when ordered to play, the boy does so with all his heart. There are few happy tales from the Holocaust. But there are many stories of man's indomitable spirit, something that transcends the horrors of that time and place. This is another such tale, based on the true story of a Holocaust survivor. And it expresses the uplifting power of music, which no walls can contain. Luminous illustrations help make this book a masterpiece. [...]

This picture book is based on the true story of a Holocaust survivor, who is torn away from his family at an early age. His harmonica keeps his connection to his parents alive and the memories they shared. The content of this picture book is of serious nature,and provides realistic images of what the boy has to endure during his time at the concentration camp. It is not recommended for children under 10. The book is very dark and quite grim. However, the language in the story has a lyrical flow and the word choice creates vivid imagery. A read aloud of this story leaves the reader with an eerie feeling. The illustrations complement the message from the text and reflect the boy's memories and feelings.--Vance 202