Music Book Review: I Want to Be a Musician by Peter J

It is the start of a new year, and so a new set of books about music are sitting on my shelves waiting to be read and reviewed. While I have books on my shelves ready to be read for readers of all ages, I am starting this year’s Music Book Reviews off by looking at a book for younger readers – I Want to Be a Musician [sic] by Peter J

What is this book about?

Normally at the start of my reviews I give you the blurb from the back of the book (or inside cover, wherever it is located), but on this occasion I can’t because there is none. This appears to be a self-published book in a series of books by the same author about different careers children may be interested in, although the book (and the entry on Amazon for this book) says it is published by Wonderworld Books.

I Want to Be a Musician is the story of a girl called Melody who has always loved to sing. One day she comes across a musician who is playing his guitar underneath a tree and talks to him about his job as a musician. This encounter inspires Melody to want to become a musician herself, and so she and her parents work together to find the right musical instrument for her, and the right teacher for her, the aptly named Mr Crescendo (there’s a little bit of nominative determinism at work here), and we follow Melody’s progress until she performs at a big concert.

At the end of the book, and after the end of the story, there is a double page spread giving children a little advice about what you need to do in order to become a musician. And I am gratified to see that the author highlights that not only do you need to want to become a musician and make beautiful music, but that you also have to be willing to put in a lot of practice to achieve this dream.

Apart from those last 2 pages that I mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are large illustrations on every page. These illustrations are in the style of a cartoon you would see on YouTube Kids or similar (think cocomelon type illustrations). These are rather nice, pleasant images, and I think young children would enjoy them very much.

Who Is This Book For?

Would your child enjoy this book? Well as always, you know your child best, so everything I say here should be read with that in mind. This is obviously a book for children who have an interest in music. I would say that it is a book pitched well for young readers, with a nice story and nice illustrations.

The entry on Amazon says that this is a book that is “Perfect for children aged 4 – 12” but I would only partially agree with that recommendation. Personally I would drop the age range that this book is suitable for quite considerably. I asked my 7 year old daughter to read the book, and she felt that it was too young for her. I would recommend the book for ages 2 or 3 – 6, maybe up to 8 at a push, but not over that age. Now, when I say 2 or 3, I do of course mean you reading the book with your child and them enjoying the pictures, and your child reading the book more independently when they are at the older end of that age range.

Would I recommend this book?

On the whole I would recommend it for younger readers. But I am not sure that I think it’s worth the price that is currently being asked for on Amazon (see below for pricing information), and I would wait until the price reduces.

Where Can I Buy This Book?

I bought I Want to Be a Musician from Amazon, and given that it appears to be a self-published book I am not sure that it would be available from other retailers. At the time of writing the book was available from Amazon priced at £13.99, though you should always bear in mind that the prices in Amazon fluctuate with demand, and as stated above I do think that is a bit too high for this book. There is a Kindle version of the book for £1.99, though whether the illustrations would be as effective and pretty on there kindle, I do not know.

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