Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts

johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart Was Only Three Years Old—not Much Bigger Than His Name—on The Day His Life Changed Forever.

so Begins This Vivid Biography About One Of The Most Legendary Prodigies In History. Award-winning Author And Illustrator Diane Stanley Engagingly Tells The Story Of A Brilliant Boy Who Grew Up To Be A Complex And Often Troubled Young Man—a Man Who Composed Some Of The Most Beautiful Music Of All Time.

with Stunning And Expressive Illustrations, She Portrays Mozart's Turbulent Life As A Marionette Show, Inspired By The Famous Salzburg Marionette Theatre, Using An Innovative Artistic Approach To Present The Life Of A Renowned Musical Genius. In Concise And Lyrical Prose, Stanley Presents An Honest And Sympathetic Portrait Of The Boyhood And Tragically Short Adulthood Of A Composer Whose Music Has Lived On For More Than Two Hundred Years.

publishers Weekly

inspired By The Salzberg Marionette Theatre, Stanley (joan Of Arc) Frames This Engaging And Well-paced Biography Of Mozart As A Three-act Puppet Play. Sprinklings Of Dialogue And Witty Anecdotes-such As The Prank Mozart Plays On A Singer Mid-performance-flesh Out The Life Of This Wunderkind (what A Strange And Magical Childhood It Must Have Been For Wolfgang... Being Praised, Petted, And Covered With Kisses By The Greatest Nobles Of Europe). Painting Gessoed Wood Panels With Egg Tempera In Soft Tones, Stanley Achieves An Authentic Sense Of Place, While Augmenting The Historic Mood With Musical Staffs That Wind Through The Scenes And Informational Asides Presented By Angels. While The Three-act Structure Serves The Through Story Well, Some May Find The Marionette Strings Attached To Every Character Distracting. Endnotes Include An Extensive Chronology Of Mozart's Life. Ages 8-12. (feb.)