A Boy Who Made Music - Karen A. Wyle - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Karen A. Wyle

GENRE: Picture Book Biography

PUBLICATION DATE: August 4, 2024

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A picture book about the life of blind Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo. Good story, interesting art choice. An inspiring story for little readers.

This picture book details the life story of Spanish composer and pianist Joaquin Rodrigo. Rodrigo was born sighted, but an attack of diphtheria when he was three left him completely blind. After his parents moved to the city and enrolled him in a special school, Rodrigo’s aptitude for music was discovered, and he trained in the piano and the violin. His talent led to a long and successful career in music and also movies, where he worked as a composer. He is most known for his guitar compositions, though he never mastered the instrument.

It is easy to guess why the life of this composer would be inspiring. The world is quite insistent that our success is determined by our physical abilities, and having any kind of disability is an impediment. Rodrigo proved that the lack of sight is not a stumbling block but a mere hurdle when you are ready to work hard for your dreams. One great example of his determination is depicted by his writing sheet music in Braille. (This fact left me open-mouthed! It is tough to write composed music even in ordinary Western notations!) He then dictated the Braille notes to friends, who transcribed the music into standard notation note by note.

One point indirectly brought out by the story is the role of vaccines. Had Rodrigo been born later, he would have been given the diphtheria vaccine, and wouldn’t have lost his sight. But he himself said that his blindness was one reason he learned to focus on sounds and hence music. It goes to prove the point that when God closes a door, he opens a window; we just have to keep faith.

Joaquin seems to have been a Christian and his faith comes out in a couple of pages. There is a reference to heaven at the end, taken from an actual quote by the composer. 

Writing a biography in a picture book isn’t easy; condensing an inspiring person’s life to just a few pages inevitably means that some of the flow is sacrificed. This book is mostly fluid in its storytelling. I just wish some key details had been clarified better. The presentation is easy for kids, with not more than 2-3 sentences per page. The language is mostly manageable for the target age group of 3-8 years.

The ending notes have some more details about Rodrigo’s contribution to the world of music. There are also some activities that involve using our other senses to perceive the world around us. I am sure kids will enjoy these.

I have read all of Karen Wyle’s picture books, and though she works with different illustrators, her books always have consistently stunning graphics. This one is no exception, with a canvas-painting kind of effect to the sketches. However, there’s a novelty herein. The initial pages are coloured, but once Rodrigo loses his vision, the illustrations turn monochrome B&W. I love this artistic choice, but I am not sure how children will feel about it, especially as they love colours. Perhaps they will learn to empathise with the darkness ‘seen’ by the blind.

Definitely recommended as this talented composer’s life has a lot of inspiration to offer to little ones. This book might work better in a classroom environment as the writing offers several facets for discussion.

A shoutout to that stunning and intelligent cover art - loved it!

My thanks to author Karen A. Wyle for providing me with a complimentary copy of “A Boy Who Made Music”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.