Star and the Maestro: How a Musical Bird Made Melodies with Mozart
(Thor Hanson; Matt Schu)
 
Used in Primary A: Medieval Melodies to Musical Theater
 
From the publisher:
 
A long time ago in Vienna, Austria, a starling was for sale in a shop. Star wasn’t fancy or flashy, but he had a marvelous voice and could mimic intricate songs. When a passerby recognized his own musical composition being chirped, Star found a new friend in Mozart. Mozart purchased Star and took him home to his Vienna apartments, where Star and his maestro continued to compose and make music that echoed around the world and is still played and performed today.
Star and the Maestro is based on the true story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his pet starling, Star. With a rhythmic, rhyming text and beautiful, detailed illustrations, this picture book will appeal to families, librarians, classroom teachers, and animal and music lovers of all ages. An excellent read-aloud, this entertaining and child-friendly nonfiction picture book is about the special bond between two talented musicians and the unique ways in which humans and animals interact and features extensive back matter by noted biologist Thor Hanson.