The Girl Who Heard the Music

April 3, 2023
Writing with Fogelson in third-person prose, Teave tells the story of her own path to musical success and her eventual conservation work at home on Rapa Nui, island site of the world-famous moai. For Teave, “music was the heart” of the island. But after learning on the island’s sole piano, and being told that “her talent could not fully bloom” there, she moves away to become a concert pianist. Visits home “made Mahani feel whole again,” and it’s on these trips she realizes that, between tourists and ocean litter, “trash/ was/ everywhere.” In response, Teave takes inspiration from her creative ancestors and joins a team working to create a music school using recycled building materials. In warm and cool tones, Álvarez Miguéns’s artwork emphasizes the light brought by music, and concluding images highlight the positive local impact of the sustainable school. Back matter includes an author’s note, facts, and glossary. Ages 4–8.

March 1, 2023
The true story of a musician who makes her home a better place. Mahani Teave lives on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. She hears music in everything, from the waves crashing against the rocks to the songs of the crickets. When visitors, who are racially diverse, come to her island with instruments, she longs to play. A retired teacher, who presents a White, arrives one day and brings a piano. Mahani practices diligently, and when a great Chilean pianist visits and hears Mahani perform, he is amazed by her talent and encourages her to work hard. Eventually, she knows she must leave her beautiful island to learn from musicians worldwide. She plays concerts and wins international competitions. Wherever she goes, she shares the beauty of her island. Tourists flock to the island. Unfortunately, they bring trash with them. It takes much effort, but Mahani and a team of islanders use the garbage--cardboard, glass and plastic bottles, tires--to build the island's first music school. The Rapa Nui School of Music and the Arts is solar-powered and allows the island's children to pursue their artistic passions. Mahani's dream of a sustainable Rapa Nui continues. Accompanied by vibrant, delightful visuals, this upbeat and fascinating story will leave readers feeling as though they, too, can make a difference when it comes to helping the planet. Backmatter includes more information on Mahani and Rapa Nui. (This book was reviewed digitally; this review has been updated for accuracy.) A melodious and uplifting environmental success story. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2023
Grades K-3 Inspiration abounds in this story of Mahani Teave, whose childhood on Rapa Nui (aka Easter Island) was filled with her island's natural beauty and music. Readers will watch as she discovers classical music and receives her first piano lesson from a visiting teacher. Eventually, Mahani's talent takes her from Rapa Nui to perform around the world, but on one visit home, the narrative shifts. Mahani notices how much trash has accumulated on Rapa Nui from ocean litter and debris left behind by tourists. Teave and Fogelson describe how Mahani devised an innovative plan to restore the environment by using the garbage to build a music school on the island. The sunny illustrations are at their best when capturing the beauty of Rapa Nui. �lvarez Migu�ns folds cultural details into almost every scene, such as callbacks to the Rapanui who carved the island's Moai (statues) and the incorporation of bright, floral fabrics and traditional instruments and dances. Excellent back matter includes additional facts about Mahani Teave, Rapa Nui and its famous Moai, the Rapanui language, ocean plastics, and Earthships.

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