All Categories
Product Description For sixty years audiences have been charmed by the adventures of a tuba named Tubby. All day long, Tubby plays oompah, oompah with his orchestra, but what he really wants is to "dance with the pretty little tune." A resourceful bullfrog shows Tubby that everyone has the right to play his own melody. When the recording of Tubby the Tuba was first released, it met with instant success, and it went on to sell 13 million copies. Now these classic characters have been reimagined by Henry Cole in this stunning picture book, which comes complete with a CD of the author's performance with full orchestration. This is a musical and visual treat for a whole new generation to enjoy the world's most famous tuba. From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2–Cole presents a picture-book version of this beloved composition, written by Tripp with music by George Kleinsinger, which was first recorded in 1946. Tubby the Tuba is tired of just repeating oompah, oompah and wants to perform a melody like the violins or the flute. That night, while sitting by the river, the unhappy tuba meets a bullfrog, who sings a beautiful tune. The next day, inspired by his new friend, Tubby enthusiastically plays the melody for the orchestra, winning the acceptance of the conductor and the other instruments. The colorful cartoons, showing an apple-cheeked Tubby clothed in a T-shirt and red sneakers, create a retro mood without looking dated. This title stands alone as a great introduction to the orchestra for children. However, reading the story while listening to the accompanying CD, which is narrated by the late author, is even better. A good choice for classroom sharing and individual reading. –Marilyn Ackerman, Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist The orchestra's tuba, Tubby grows tired of supplying the steady "oompah" background and longs to play melodies. Discouraged by the other instruments' reaction to his one attempt, Tubby ambles off one evening and finds inspiration down by the river, where a friendly frog offers help and encouragement. Written by actor Tripp as a child's introduction to the orchestra, the musical story of Tubby the Tuba was released as a short, puppet-based animated film in 1947, a book in 1954, and a longer animated feature video in the 1970s. Cole's colorful retro-style artwork endows the instrument-characters great emotional expressiveness. He uses the large format to good advantage, creating scenes that are varied in their effects and show up well from a distance. The accompanying CD, which slides into a pocket inside the back cover, features Tripp reading his story with orchestral accompaniment, as it was meant to be heard. Sometimes paired with Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, this child-friendly introduction to the orchestra looks very appealing in Cole's picture-book version. Carolyn Phelan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Review "In this…satisfying 1940s tale, a tuba that wants to play melodies rather than just oompah-ing along in the background finds unlikely inspiration. In a retro style that harks back to the story’s original era, Cole outfits the flexible-bodied instruments with human faces and limbs (though modern dress), and sends bars of music floating past at opportune moments. All in all, the story will still appeal to modern young audiences…." —Kirkus Reviews About the Author Paul Tripp was a children's musician, author, songwriter, and actor. Henry Cole is a self-taught artist and the beloved illustrator of more than twenty books for young readers. He lives in Wilton Manors, Florida.