Summer Reading
All books can be checked out at the Santa Fe Public Library for free! Click the link below each description for more information.
Books About Music
Because
By Mo Willems
Illustrated by Amber Ren
Composed by Hilary Purrington
A series of events, some seemingly very insignificant, lead to a young girl attending a life-changing concert.
Santa Fe Public Library
Becoming Bach
By Thomas Leonard
Highlights the life and achievements of the eighteenth-century German composer and musician, and examines the development of his most important compositions.
Before John Was a Jazz Giant
By Carole Boston Weatherford
This lyrical picture-book biography of John Coltrane focuses on his childhood and how he interpreted sounds before he made his music.
Build a House
By Rhiannon Giddens
Illustrated by Monica Maki
Tells the moving story of a people who would not be moved and the music that sustained them. This book offers a proud view of history and a vital message for readers of all ages: honor your heritage, express your truth, and let your voice soar, even-or perhaps especially-when your heart is heaviest.
Dark Was the Night
By Gary Golio
The story of Blind Willie Johnson–the legendary Texas musician whose song “Dark Was the Night” was included on the Voyager I space probe’s Golden Record.
Esquivel!: Space-Age Sound Artist
By Susan Wood
Juan Garcia Esquivel was born in Mexico and grew up to the sounds of mariachi bands. He loved music and became a musical explorer. Defying convention, he created music that made people laugh and planted images in their minds. Juan’s space-age lounge music popular in the fifties and sixties has found a new generation of listeners.
Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong
By Lesa Cline-Ransome
Powerful picture book about Louis Armstrong as a pioneer of jazz.
Odetta, The Queen of Folk
By Stephen Alcorn
An introduction to the life and career of the folk singer Odetta, which traces her Alabama childhood, early musical achievements and role in breaking artistic ground for other musicians.
My Tata’s Guitar
By Ethriam Cash Brammer
While sharing stories of their Mexican-American family’s past, a father gives his young son the guitar he received from his own father.
Nathan’s Song
By Leda Schubert
Illustrated by Maya Ish-Shalom
Early in the twentieth century, Nathan embarks on a voyage from Russia to New York City hoping to become an opera singer, and works hard while missing his home and family.
Natsumi!
By Susan Lendroth
Illustrated by Priscilla Burris
The festival of traditional Japanese arts is coming up, and little Natsumi’s big personality is too much for her family’s quieter traditions, until her grandfather introduces her to taiko drumming.
Odetta, The Queen of Folk
By Stephen Alcorn
An introduction to the life and career of the folk singer Odetta, which traces her Alabama childhood, early musical achievements and role in breaking artistic ground for other musicians.
Paddington Plays On
By Michael Bond
While on vacation with the Browns in a small French town, Paddington plays the drums with the local band. Enlisting in a marching band at the start of his vacation, Paddington Bear is challenged to use his sense of adventure to save the parade from a whimsical mishap.
She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain
By Jonathan Emmett
A new version of the traditional American folk song, in which the expected guest will be wearing frilly pink pajamas and juggling with jelly when she comes.
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
By Roxane Orgill
A lively biography of Ella Fitzgerald, with musical rhythm in the text itself.
The Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger
By Nikki McClire
Rhyming text explores the life and work of folk musician Pete Seeger, discussing how his messages of universal understanding and social and environmental justice inspired generations.
The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music
By Roberta Flack
Illustrated by Hayden Goodman
A lyrical picture book–perfect for aspiring piano players and singers–that shares an intimate look at Roberta Flack’s family and her special connection to music.
The Seals on the Bus
By Lenny Hort
Different animals–including seals, tigers, geese, rabbits, monkeys, and more–make their own sounds as they ride all around the town on a bus.
There Once Was a Cowpoke Who Swallowed an Ant
By Helen Ketteman Illustrated by Will Terry
An illustrated version of the cumulative folk song in which the solution proves worse than the predicament when a cowpoke swallows an ant with a sting the size of Texas.
There’s a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake
By Lauren Long
An adaptation of the traditional folk song, “There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea,” with additional repetition and tongue twisters. Includes sheet music.
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
By Lloyd Moss
Ten instruments take their parts one by one in a musical performance. This book is a perfect introduction to musical instruments and musical groups and is a counting book that redefines the genre.
Books About Dance
Beautiful Ballerina
By Marilyn Nelson
Photographs and a poem bring readers on center stage with the ballerinas from the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes
By Mahak Jai
Illustrated by Anu Chouhan
Paro comes from a dancing family. At home, she dances Bharatanatyam with her mom, and now she’s excited to learn ballet. But what if she can’t dance like the other kids in her class? Ballerinas move like fairies, while Bharatanatyam dancers seem like queens. Paro can’t be both…can she?
Black Swans
By Laurel Van de Linde
The stories of six daring, groundbreaking Black ballet dancers leap off the pages of this beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book. With a leap of faith and a love of dance, these Black Swans overcame obstacles and opened doors for all the children who dream of dancing.
Boys Dance
by John Robert Allman
Illustrated by Luciano Lozano
American Ballet Theatre (contributor)
Illustrations and rhyming text celebrate boys who dance, from their very first day of stretching at the barre while dreaming of the exciting roles they might one day play.
Dance is for Everyone
By Andrea Zuill
An alligator dancing ballet? When the reptile takes her place at the barre, Mrs. Iraina and her dancers are very surprised. But since they can’t communicate with the alligator–and she is able to follow along–they just decide to let her stay. Funny and irreverent, Dance Is for Everyone shows that, with just a little understanding, anyone can fit in–even a dancing alligator.
Danza!: Amalia Hernández and El Ballet Folklórico de México
by Duncan Tonatiuh
Explores the roots of Mexican dance traditions, telling the story of Amalia Hernandez, dancer and founder of El Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.
Finding My Dance
By Ria Thundercloud
Illustrated by Kalila J. Fuller
In her debut picture book, professional Indigenous dancer Ria Thundercloud tells the true story of her path to dance and how it helped her take pride in her Native American heritage.
Firebird: Ballerina Misty Copeland Shows a Young Girl How to Dance Like the Firebird
by Misty Copeland, Christopher Meyers (Contributor)
American Ballet Theater soloist Misty Copeland tells the story of a young girl whose confidence is fragile and who is questioning her own ability. Through practice and dedication, the little girl can become a firebird, too.
Flora and the Flamingo
by Molly Idle
In this wordless book with interactive flaps, a friendship develops between a girl named Flora and a graceful flamingo, as they learn to dance together.
Josie Dances
By Denise K. Lajimodiere
Illustrated by Angela Erdich
As she prepares for her first powwow, an Ojibwa girl practices her dance steps, gets help from her family, and is inspired by the soaring flight of Migizi, the eagle. Includes glossary.
Kitchen Dance
By Maurie Manning
Two sleepy children sneak out of their beds to watch as their parents, who love each other very much, break into a dance while washing the dishes.
We Move Together
By Kelly Fritsch & Anne McGuire
Illustrated by Eduardo Trejos
A bold and colorful exploration of all the ways that people navigate through the spaces around them, and a celebration of the relationships we build along the way. We Move Together follows a mixed-ability group of kids as they creatively negotiate everyday barriers, and find joy and connection in disability culture and community.
Books About Theater & Opera
Ella Sets the Stage
By Carmela D’Amico
Believing that she has no special abilities to share in the school talent show, Ella the elephant takes over the event’s organization and discovers something important in the process.
Encore, Opera Cat!
By Tess Weaver
Alma the cat loves to sing and dreams of one day of singing on stage with her mistress, Madame SoSo, an opera singer.
Moon Theater
By Étienne Delessert
To prepare for the moon’s nightly rising, a young stagehand performs such tasks as dressing the birds in long dark coats, training wild dogs to howl, and watering the stars.
Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg!
By Quvenzhané Wallis
When Shai Williams, who plans to become a star on Broadway, loses the lead role in the third-grade musical at her performing arts elementary school in Atlanta, she learns an important lesson about adaptability, from her mother, aunt, and grandmother, all actresses.
Stage Fright on a Summer Night
By Mary Pope Osborne
Jack and Annie travel in their magic tree house to Elizabethan London, where they become actors in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and try to rescue a tame bear.
Stagestruck
By Tomie DePaola
Although Tommy fails to get the part of Peter Rabbit in the kindergarten play, he still finds a way to be the center of attention on stage.
The Barefoot Book of Stories from the Opera
By James Mayhew
These fascinating, dramatic and child-friendly opera tales are illustrated with flamboyant and breath-taking illustrations.
The Magician’s Boy
By Susan Cooper
A magician’s apprentice loses a St. George puppet during a show and is sent to a strange land to full of adventures with familiar characters to find it.
The Random House Book of Opera Stories
By Adèle Geras
This spellbinding collection of eight well-known stories was created and designed especially for children. Acclaimed author Adèle Geras has dramatically retold familiar operas such as The Magic Flute and Aida, giving us timeless tales filled with magic, love, war, friendship, and a host of larger-than-life characters.
The School Play
By Rosemary Wells
When Yoko’s class puts on a play about taking care of teeth, several students are not happy with their parts.
The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue presents Macbeth
By Ian Lendler
The Stratford Zoo looks like a normal zoo… until the gates shut at night. That’s when the animals come out of their cages to stage elaborate performances of Shakespeare’s greatest works. They might not be the most accomplished thespians, but they’ve got what counts: heart. Also fangs, feathers, scales, and tails.
Will’s Words
By Jane Sutcliffe
Shakespeare loved words. He picked up phrases; he made up new words– and then he put them together in extraordinary ways and used them in his plays. Discover the ways that his words changed the way we talk.
Books About Art & Creativity
A Life Made by Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa
By Andrea D’Aquino
Describes the life and artwork of the influential sculptor, Ruth Asawa, from her childhood in a farming family and her avant-garde art style to her activism for arts education.
Ablaze with Color
By Jeanne Walker Harvey
Tells the story of painter and teacher Alma Thomas, discussing her childhood, teaching career and activism.
Abuela’s Weave
By Omar Castañeda
Esperanza learns the art of weaving Guatemalan tapestries from her grandmother. Together they make something very special and refuse to show it to anyone until market day.
Child of the Flower-Song People
By Gloria Amescua
As a young Nahua girl in early 1900s Mexico, Luz learned traditional skills like grinding corn, spinning yarn, and weaving. When the Mexican Revolution forced her family to flee to Mexico City, she became a model for artists who wanted to portray the authentic face of Mexico. Through her work, Luz Jiménez preserved and shared her culture, becoming a powerful link between the Nahua people and the wider world.
I Spy Shapes in Art
By Lucy Micklethwait
Presents objects with the shape of a heart, a triangle, a square, and other shapes through paintings by such artists as Magritte, Escher, and Matisse.
Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing
By Kay Haring
Illustrated by Robert Neubecker
Traces the life of artist Keith Haring, from his childhood love of drawing to his meteoric rise to fame, with a focus on his concern for children, humanity, and disregard for the established art world.
Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art
By J. H. Shapiro
Heidelberg Street in Detroit was filled with abandoned houses and trash, but artist Tyree Guyton wanted to bring attention to his struggling neighborhood. Inspired by his grandfather, he began turning discarded items into colorful art, eventually creating the Heidelberg Project and bringing the community together. Through his work, Tyree showed how art can inspire change, heal communities, and transform even the most neglected places.
Marina Abramović Turned Herself Into Art and Wasn’t Sorry
By Fausto Gilberti
Marina Abramovic is a world-famous artist who uses her body to perform in unexpected and unusual ways that make an audience think. This innovative book tells an inspiring story about the pioneering performance artist who is also the first female artist to hold a major solo exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Milo Imagines the World
By Matt de la Peña
While Milo and his sister travel to a detention center to visit their incarcerated mother, he observes strangers on the subway and draws what he imagines their lives to be.
My Museum
By Joanne Liu
In a nearly wordless picture book, Max visits an art museum where he sees paintings, sculptures, and even some art he creates, himself.
On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei’s Art is Changing the Tide
By Joanna Ho
A moving story about the life and work of social activist and artist Ai Weiwei. Told with lyrical and gentle writing, it highlights Ai Weiwei’s journey and focuses on Safe Passage, his exhibition of thousands of life jackets at the Konzerthaus Berlin. Inspired by the life jackets left on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos by people searching for safety, Ai Weiwei created a powerful art installation that captured the world’s attention.
One Yellow Ribbon
By Marthe Jocelyn
A wordless board book that follows the journey of one yellow ribbon as it transforms into many other objects
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
By Javaka Steptoe
Jean-Michel Basquiat rose to fame in the 1980s with his bold, collage-style paintings that transformed the art world, but his creativity began in childhood, inspired by poetry, museums, language, and the energy of New York City. This vivid story introduces young readers to the powerful message and art doesn’t always have to be neat or clean–and definitely not inside the lines–to be beautiful.
Rainbow Weaver
By Linda Elovitz Marshall
Ixchel, a young Mayan girl who is not allowed to use her mother’s thread to weave, exercises her ingenuity and repurposes plastic bags to create colorful weavings.
Sandy’s Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder
By Tanya Lee Stone
As a boy, Sandy was always fiddling with odds and ends, making objects for friends. When he got older he started creating wire sculptures. Sandy made a lion. Next came a lion cage. Before he knew it, he had an entire circus and was traveling between Paris and New York performing a brand-new kind of art for amazed audiences.
Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural
By Raquel M. Ortiz
On the way back from the bodega, Sofia is drawn into a life-like mural of Old San Juan where she dances, sings, and conquers her fear of the vejigante before being called back to the barrio by her mother.
Studio: A Place for Art to Start
By Emily Arrow
Illustrated by Little Friends of Printmaking
A young bunny makes the rounds of a studio building, taking in all the different artists in their habitats. Making, thinking, sharing, performing, but can our bunny find the perfect space to let imagination shine? In this charming ode to creativity, noted children’s singer and entertainer Emily Arrow introduces readers to the concept of the studio: a place for painters, dancers, singers, actors, sculptors, printmakers… and you!
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kadinsky’s Abstract Art
By Barb Rosenstock
Describes how Vasya Kandinsky’s creative life was profoundly shaped by a neurological condition called synesthesia which caused him to experienced colors as sounds and sounds as colors.
This Book Will Make You an Artist
By Ruth Millington
Jam-packed with imaginative ideas for all kinds of creative crafts . . . this book will make YOU an artist! Pick up your pencils, collect your collage materials, and take inspiration from 25 of the world’s best-known artists in this fact-filled book full of activities. Discover famous masterpieces through the included photographs of real works of art – from ancient cave painting to contemporary performance – and lots more in between.
Time to Make Art
By Jeff Mack
When a little girl asks meaningful questions about creating art, her questions are answered by a diverse group of artists throughout time and history. This inspiring picture book about making art doubles as an introduction to the multifaceted and global history of art.