Book Review: Angelina’s Concertina
Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
Picture a
rainy Wisconsin Saturday on a dairy farm in Northern Wisconsin. A six year old
girl isn’t feeling well and is relaxing in the couch while her five year old
brother sits close by watching cartoons. Mom is busy with their week in a half
old brother while Dad is out in the barn caring for the cows. The oldest of the
boys (the five year old) reminds Mom he needs to read ten minutes each day to
color in his reading chart. A smile creeps across moms face and she gladly
turns off the television and opens her Kindle. She had nearly forgotten the new
book she had intended on reading with the children weeks prior. With the infant
in one arm and the Kindle in the other, Mom calls the children to sit around
her feet as she rocks in the rocking chair.
Mom announced
the title: Angelina’s Concertina and the children gave her a sideways glance
not quite knowing what a concertina was. Instead of explaining too much too
soon, Mom assured the children they would figure it out if they listened
carefully and she promised to show them each of the bright colorful pictures as
the story was told.
It didn’t
take long and one of the children asked “is a concertina like an accordion
Mom?” and the other commented “Grandma has an accordion doesn’t she?”. The
children listened attentively as the story progressed and even chimed in on the
chorus/song about Angelina playing her concertina ooh la la! It was decided
that the grandmother’s dress was lovely and the children were bullies. As the
story finished, the conversation was even more excited (at least from Mom’s
point of view) as the children talked about what they had learned:
·
It’s
never too late to say you’re sorry
·
You
shouldn’t make fun of how other people do things
·
Don’t be
afraid to make music even if no one likes it
Mom closed
the book with a smile knowing Angelina’s Concertina would be shared again and
again. What a wonderful tale with exquisite illustrations and fabulous lessons.
Hats off to Gina Cialkoszewski – Kabat for sharing this story and Courtney
Matthies for her illustrations. This is a great book for children a variety of
ages!
Book Summary: This is a work of imagination, inspiration and musical origination born from my own personal childhood growing up with parents who performed Polka music in their Authentic Polish style throughout Toledo, Ohio and the Midwest. As a child, I was introduced to ballrooms, bars, and festival backyards,listening, watching and absorbing their music. Bridging together what I saw, heard and felt in rounds of social interactions of people applauding the musicians, people criticizing the musicians, seeing my parents up on stage and knowing them behind the scenes. My parents musically paved a very rough road in the 70s and 80s leaving a trail for others to peruse with only the social media back then of word-of-mouth, live performances, 8-tracks, cassettes and album covers.
Published:
4/22/2013
Format:
Perfect Bound Softcover
Pages:
24
Size:
11x8.5
ISBN:
978-1-47979-317-4
Print Type:
Color
Author Bio: Gina Cialkoszewski-Kabat (pronounced Chalk-a zes-key, Cabot) always wanted to write a children�s book. She is an accomplished author, editor, photographer and video journalist in Northeast Wisconsin. This work is more than just another accomplishment; it is testament to believing in herself and rewriting her own personal history. She was raised in Toledo, Ohio and since the age of 17 has called Wisconsin home. She lives with her husband Jon and two young daughters in a house filled with music. Occasionally, they all go polka dancing together. Once in awhile she�ll even play her drums. About the illustrator: Courtney Matthies lives in Kiel, Wisconsin and attends school at Marian University. She is majoring in Education and English. She has been drawing cartoons since she was eight. She enjoys walking her neighbors' dogs, stand-up paddle surfing, and reading. Her computer's name is Alister.
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