When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky
When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot
Written & Illustrated by Lauren Stringer
Published by Harcourt Children’s Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013
Buy this book in Lauren’s shop
or from her favorite local Twin Cities bookstore, now offering online orders:
The Minnesota Orchestra also put together a wonderful activity guide to go with their Young Person’s Performance of The Rite of Spring. Click here to download!
Awards
Best Books of the Year 2014 (Arts, Ages 5-9), Bank Street College of Education
Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth 2013
ALA Notable Children's Book 2013
Wilde Awards for Best Picture Book Biographies 2013
Original Art 2013, Society of Illustrators, New York
Best Books for Summer 2013, Huffington Post
McKnight Artists Fellowship for Children's Literature 2012
Reviews
"...the text has a beat all its own as it introduces the two men... Their collaboration brought the world The Rite of Spring, which opened to a riot in Paris... the acrylic artwork captures the innovation, the noise, and the excitement in swirling, whirling images crowded with color and movement. This one will make kids want to sit down and listen to the music for themselves."
-Booklist (starred)
"...Stringer winningly plays with the symmetry of the two names in her rhythmic text and dynamic page design. The vibrantly saturated colors of her paintings pulse with energy…Music and dance made entertaining and joyous."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"...Acrylic paintings swoop and curl with the fluidity of music and dance, echoed in the stylistic leaps of Stringer’s prose…The repetition and disruption of shapes creates a kind of visual syncopation…Stringer trusts readers with a challenging and exciting account of the transformative power of visionary, risk-taking art."
-Publisher's Weekly (starred)
"Composed with much alliterative, musical language, and onomatopoeia, this narrative flows beautifully...Vibrantly colored illustrations…enhance the tone of the story and complement the text well. A detailed note from the author, complete with photographs, provides interesting background information about Stravinsky, Nijinsky, and The Rite of Spring."
-School Library Journal (starred)
“… It’s enough to make readers want to put down the book and turn on the music. Who doesn’t like the sound of that?"
-NY Times Book Review
"...The engaging text is filled with delicious phrases as Stravinsky imagines "night drums that rumble and fires that blaze" or how Nijinsky's "torso trumpeted a melody.” The color-splashed acrylic illustrations are striking in their depiction of these creative, kindred spirits willing to take risks…"
- IRA, Book Reviews: The History of America and Beyond
“…The big, juicy pages are overflowing with color and images as rich as the ballet itself. A terrific introduction to a 20th-century masterpiece."
- The Star Tribune
"… the book is visually brilliant; each illustration is inspired by one or other of the great painters, movements, and themes of the period. Moreover, Stringer wisely includes a note from the author at the end of the story with more background about the two artists and The Rite of Spring."
- San Francisco Classical Voice
"There are many children's picture books about music and musicians and dance and dancer's, but, believe me when I say there are none like this one. Stringer's words and music and her illustrations dance. She captures the excitement and movement of a turning point in music and dance history…Stringer's lyrical text and exuberant paintings reflect the artistic styles of the period without being imitative, expressing the joy, frustration and excitement of creative processes."
-Early Word, The Publisher/Librarian Connection