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Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
A Caldecott Honor book that is the perfect introduction to musical instruments and a counting book that redefines the genre.
When this book begins, the trombone is playing all by itself. But soon a trumpet makes a duet, a french horn a trio, and so on until the entire orchestra is assembled on stage. Written in elegant and rhythmic verse and illustrated with playful and flowing artwork, this unique counting book is the perfect introduction to musical groups. Readers of all ages are sure to shout “Encore!” when they reach the final page of this joyous celebration of classical music.
When this book begins, the trombone is playing all by itself. But soon a trumpet makes a duet, a french horn a trio, and so on until the entire orchestra is assembled on stage. Written in elegant and rhythmic verse and illustrated with playful and flowing artwork, this unique counting book is the perfect introduction to musical groups. Readers of all ages are sure to shout “Encore!” when they reach the final page of this joyous celebration of classical music.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 360 reviews
May 23, 2019
I had fun with this rhyming counting beginning book. The rhyme made a rhythm that fit with all the instruments we see in the orchestra. I miss my time in an orchestra. Those we some good days, they were. I especially miss playing in the Nutcracker every Christmas. I was a piccolo player and very good at it too because I could play it in tune. I loved being the top range of the orchestra.
What I like about this book most is that it uses numbers as a way to teach groups like an octet or a duo or a solo. Books don’t often do that. I also love the artwork here. It is full of movement and swirls and the flute player was pretty cool too.
The nephew recently went to see the Baltimore Orchestra play a concert for kids with his school and he really enjoyed that day. He recognized some of the instruments and he did get excited he knew what the instruments were. He would call them out. He gave this 4 stars. The niece thought the artwork was pretty and she was interested in what you call larger groups like 9 is nonet. She gave this 3 stars.
What I like about this book most is that it uses numbers as a way to teach groups like an octet or a duo or a solo. Books don’t often do that. I also love the artwork here. It is full of movement and swirls and the flute player was pretty cool too.
The nephew recently went to see the Baltimore Orchestra play a concert for kids with his school and he really enjoyed that day. He recognized some of the instruments and he did get excited he knew what the instruments were. He would call them out. He gave this 4 stars. The niece thought the artwork was pretty and she was interested in what you call larger groups like 9 is nonet. She gave this 3 stars.
November 26, 2017
This fun and delightfully engaging picture book about musical instruments and the various sounds they make is truly a small but mighty gem. Featuring an engaging, poetic text (Lloyd Moss has really captured the essence of each of the presented instruments with his delightful, fun onomatopoeic verses) and combined with Marjorie Priceman's bright and lively, descriptive and to me dancing illustrations, I can certainly understand why and how Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin was chosen as a Caldecott Honor book.
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! thus presents an informative and entertaining, captivating way to introduce younger children not only to ten essential musical instruments, but it also, of course, works as a simple counting book, portraying the numbers one to ten (and solo to a chamber group of ten musicians). The only minor problem I, personally, have tended to encounter with Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! is the font size and the fact that the text is generally rather curved, which I find somewhat distracting whilst reading. I would actually be somewhat afraid of misreading or accidentally skipping parts of the narrative, if I were reading this otherwise excellent offering aloud to children.
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! thus presents an informative and entertaining, captivating way to introduce younger children not only to ten essential musical instruments, but it also, of course, works as a simple counting book, portraying the numbers one to ten (and solo to a chamber group of ten musicians). The only minor problem I, personally, have tended to encounter with Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin! is the font size and the fact that the text is generally rather curved, which I find somewhat distracting whilst reading. I would actually be somewhat afraid of misreading or accidentally skipping parts of the narrative, if I were reading this otherwise excellent offering aloud to children.
February 20, 2011
While the text poems weren’t stellar I really liked this book and I particularly got a great deal of pleasure from the inclusion of the cats in a book about music.
This is one of six books (the last I’ve read of the five I’m able to find) chosen for the Picture Books Club’s (at the Children's Books group) March discussion books; the month’s theme is music.
Ten instruments are introduced, as they and their players end up forming a chamber group of ten. This works as a counting book because as each instrument is introduced they are part of a count: one/solo, two/duo (why not duet, I wonder?), three/trio, up to eight/octet, nine/nonet (a word I just learned when reading this book) and ten. The text even gives some tidbits of information about what will happen at a classical music chamber group concert and how to behave at one.
Oh, and I did love the illustrations. I think they do deserve the Caldecott Honor they received.
This is one of six books (the last I’ve read of the five I’m able to find) chosen for the Picture Books Club’s (at the Children's Books group) March discussion books; the month’s theme is music.
Ten instruments are introduced, as they and their players end up forming a chamber group of ten. This works as a counting book because as each instrument is introduced they are part of a count: one/solo, two/duo (why not duet, I wonder?), three/trio, up to eight/octet, nine/nonet (a word I just learned when reading this book) and ten. The text even gives some tidbits of information about what will happen at a classical music chamber group concert and how to behave at one.
Oh, and I did love the illustrations. I think they do deserve the Caldecott Honor they received.
March 18, 2011
An enjoyable poetic introduction to musical instruments, this book also proves a charming counting book as we add from one to ten musicians (and their instruments) to make a chamber orchestra. Each instrument has its own little poem but the illustrations help keep everything unified and I really enjoyed the end when the pieces all come together to create an encore-worthy performance. The illustrations won a Caldecott Honor and, while I appreciated them, I'm not sure I was particularly a fan (much as I loved Priceman's How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World) though the cats and dogs on each page certainly add some humor and fun and I also appreciated the multi-cultural orchestra members.
I listened to the audio recording that accompanied the book and I think it's a great way to introduce children to the sounds of the various instruments though I personally found the narrator a bit grandiose but perhaps he was simply trying to add to the fanfare of this very special orchestra.
I was interested in my friend Abigail A.'s review to learn that the author was involved in the music field for quite some time before turning to children's books. His credentials certainly add to the credibility of this title as a fine teaching tool. To borrow from her review, "Lloyd Moss, who worked for New York's classical music station, WQXR, for fifty-three years, turned to the world of children's literature in 1995, publishing this debut picture-book about an ever-expanding group of musicians who chime in, one by one, until a full orchestra is in swing!" Recommended for young musicians or as a fine introduction to orchestras, especially if a child is lucky enough to have tickets to see one in real life soon!
I listened to the audio recording that accompanied the book and I think it's a great way to introduce children to the sounds of the various instruments though I personally found the narrator a bit grandiose but perhaps he was simply trying to add to the fanfare of this very special orchestra.
I was interested in my friend Abigail A.'s review to learn that the author was involved in the music field for quite some time before turning to children's books. His credentials certainly add to the credibility of this title as a fine teaching tool. To borrow from her review, "Lloyd Moss, who worked for New York's classical music station, WQXR, for fifty-three years, turned to the world of children's literature in 1995, publishing this debut picture-book about an ever-expanding group of musicians who chime in, one by one, until a full orchestra is in swing!" Recommended for young musicians or as a fine introduction to orchestras, especially if a child is lucky enough to have tickets to see one in real life soon!
July 12, 2010
“Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin” is a Caldecott Honor Book written by Lloyd Moss along with illustrations by Marjorie Priceman and this book details the various instruments that each person plays while the verses explain the different names used for the number of people joining the orchestra. “Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin” is a brilliant picture book that will help teach children about learning about various musical instruments while learning about the different names used for name a group of numbers.
Lloyd Mass has done a splendid job at writing this book as he creatively uses various phrases to describe the number of groups in an orchestra such as comparing words like “two” to “duo” and “three” to “trio” and “four” to “quartet” to explain how many people are in these types of groups, which will definitely help many children learn about these group words and how many people are in these groups. Also, Lloyd Mass has done a wonderful job at making the words of the various instruments being played in the orchestra and the group numbers in uppercase letters so that it would be easier for children to understand the instruments being played and the number of people in the various groups being discussed. Marjorie Priceman’s illustrations are colorful and beautiful at the same time as the characters who are playing various instruments have long and wavy bodies and are always presented in an elegant manner as everyone wears a tuxedo or a dress to the orchestra. Also, Marjorie Priceman makes the illustrations extremely colorful as the characters look so lively with their instruments and the stage that the characters stand on is so full of life.
“Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin” is a beautiful and brilliant book about learning about the various instruments in an orchestra while learning about how many people are in a group name being discussed in this book. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book and many small children will easily enjoy the musical theme of this book.
Lloyd Mass has done a splendid job at writing this book as he creatively uses various phrases to describe the number of groups in an orchestra such as comparing words like “two” to “duo” and “three” to “trio” and “four” to “quartet” to explain how many people are in these types of groups, which will definitely help many children learn about these group words and how many people are in these groups. Also, Lloyd Mass has done a wonderful job at making the words of the various instruments being played in the orchestra and the group numbers in uppercase letters so that it would be easier for children to understand the instruments being played and the number of people in the various groups being discussed. Marjorie Priceman’s illustrations are colorful and beautiful at the same time as the characters who are playing various instruments have long and wavy bodies and are always presented in an elegant manner as everyone wears a tuxedo or a dress to the orchestra. Also, Marjorie Priceman makes the illustrations extremely colorful as the characters look so lively with their instruments and the stage that the characters stand on is so full of life.
“Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin” is a beautiful and brilliant book about learning about the various instruments in an orchestra while learning about how many people are in a group name being discussed in this book. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book and many small children will easily enjoy the musical theme of this book.
February 21, 2019
Thanks to Literary Disco (Julia!) for introducing me to this: it has such fluid, snappy rhymes, well-disguised educational content, and dynamic illustrations that I think it's a perfect picture book. Made me want to go to an orchestral performance and hopefully it will do that for its younger readers too!
January 22, 2020
Lloyd Moss, who worked for New York's classical music station, WQXR, for fifty-three years, turned to the world of children's literature in 1995, publishing this debut picture-book about an ever-expanding group of musicians who chime in, one by one, until a full orchestra is in swing! Beginning with a single trombone, Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin builds momentum and excitement, as each new player joins the group. The rhyming text bowls along, communicating the tone and feeling of each of the instruments - the "mellow" cello, the "darkly slick" clarinet - while also keeping the rhythm joyfully alive.
A celebration of music that also functions as a counting book (the soloist becomes a duo, the duo a trio, and so on), Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin is an entertaining little tale that would make an ideal read-aloud selection for story-hour. The gouache illustrations by Marjorie Priceman are full of fun, with a sense of movement that perfectly complements the joie de vivre of the text, and are well deserving of the Caldecott Honor that they received. All in all, a book I would recommend to young music lovers, or to anyone looking for good read-aloud titles.
A celebration of music that also functions as a counting book (the soloist becomes a duo, the duo a trio, and so on), Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin is an entertaining little tale that would make an ideal read-aloud selection for story-hour. The gouache illustrations by Marjorie Priceman are full of fun, with a sense of movement that perfectly complements the joie de vivre of the text, and are well deserving of the Caldecott Honor that they received. All in all, a book I would recommend to young music lovers, or to anyone looking for good read-aloud titles.
October 30, 2020
Are you going to the symphony soon or do you have a child interested in learning music? If so, you won't want to miss this. Its a sing-song description of various instruments; and you learn what a duo, trio, quartet etc. is while each is introduced.
Ages 4+
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Ages 4+
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
March 17, 2011
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin is a good introductory to musical instruments. I liked the effort for the rhyming text and the way the text was placed on the pages to simulate the flow of music. Although it is a Caldecott Honor Book I was not a fan of the art. I did greatly appreciate how the illustrator incorporated musicians who were both young and old and from different races. For younger children, this is also a counting book. One-Solo, Two-Duo, Three-Trio, etc.
This is a Picture Book Club read for the month of March theme of music found here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...
This is a Picture Book Club read for the month of March theme of music found here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...
February 10, 2017
This Caldecott Honor Book written by Lloyd Moss and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman is a clever rhyming book about the composition of instruments to create a symphony orchestra. On each page, readers are introduced to a new instrument as well as new vocabulary. As the orchestra builds, the author describes how many band members there are using “trio, quartet, quintet” etc. I could see using this picture book as a math read-aloud to teach students about ordinal numbers and vocabulary. The two cats (yes cats) who narrate the story are unusual yet inviting. They appear on each page and it’ unclear of whether the humans notice them or not. The text on the page is never straight across. Instead, the lines are always shown in a wave-like way as if to mimic the musical sounds. The illustrations match this whimsical manner. It’s as if the characters are really never standing up totally straight. Their bodies move as the rhythm of the book does. This is a fun read aloud that primary-grade students would enjoy!
November 3, 2016
1996 Caldecott Honor - Favorite Illustration: The page where the clarinet joins to make a septet.
The fun, whimsical illustrations match the flowy, sometimes jazzy mood of a chamber symphony. I love the way the rhyme fits together with the concept of music without becoming clunky or annoying. I do find the cats, dogs, and mice a little out of place, but I loved reading through and seeing which instrument would come next, as well as learning some new terms (like nonet, for a group of 9).
The fun, whimsical illustrations match the flowy, sometimes jazzy mood of a chamber symphony. I love the way the rhyme fits together with the concept of music without becoming clunky or annoying. I do find the cats, dogs, and mice a little out of place, but I loved reading through and seeing which instrument would come next, as well as learning some new terms (like nonet, for a group of 9).
January 8, 2012
A wonderful book for teaching children about instruments and introducing them to the musical groups. The text is rhythmic and the illustrations flow, to adhere to the musical theme.
Great book for music lovers.
Great book for music lovers.
March 30, 2016
Great read loud for a toddler like mine who is interested in music & instruments. The poetic text actually mimics the tones of the various instruments as you read aloud.
September 21, 2021
Did I enjoy Lloyd Moss' love letter to the orchestra? Of course I did! But the real stars of this show, if you'll pardon the pun, are Marjorie Priceman's angular illustrations, which leave no doubt as to why Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin won a Caldecott Honor. Equal parts Al Hirschfeld and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, I could not get enough of them. Readers can sense the excitement, the sophistication, the beauty of a night at the orchestra. What greater introduction to the orchestra could there be?
July 22, 2022
A rhythmic and artistically flowing story as we see our talented orchestra slowly grow while our audience sees a grand performance. A- (91%/Excellent)
August 31, 2016
I love this 1995 children's booklet for a number of reasons. Jazz and country are not among my favourite musical genres but preferred to rap and outrageously heavy metal! I don't dig jazz enough to buy albums nor play those radio stations but am a true music lover. I know talent. I enjoy nearly any kind; in impromptu moments like live performances, or special memories at a club. Beautiful music is beautiful music. Impressively for such a brief book, which I am not surprised garnered awards: radio personality Lloyd Moss and authoress-illustrator Marjorie Priceman successfully project the vibe that reminds us how jazz can be fun!
As a lady of words, it is easy to recall that the expression "Jazzing something up" means to make it more fun, more funky, more exciting, or more pretty. The other thing I really got out of this book is a reminder of what each of those orchestra wind instruments is like. Especially, Lloyd's scholarly, effective rhyming teaches the names for groups past the sextet. I didn't know the words for eight and nine. Marjorie's art made the book swing.
Her most invaluable contribution is the barrier-erasing treat of all ages and sizes depicted in her orchestra. A few tuxedoed men might have looked pompous but were grooving away. The rest were intelligent women musicians. I was struck by a heavyset elderly dame: magnificent in this very energetic, professional element. It later occurred to me that many jazz greats were heavyset. Two cats and a mouse join them all the way. The magnificent oboe-player's dog joins them after. There was no time for a short children's booklet to germinate a lengthily-constructed story. I nevertheless derived a great deal of profundity out of the rhyming, jiving, and fun that these vibrant thirty-two pages do contain.
As a lady of words, it is easy to recall that the expression "Jazzing something up" means to make it more fun, more funky, more exciting, or more pretty. The other thing I really got out of this book is a reminder of what each of those orchestra wind instruments is like. Especially, Lloyd's scholarly, effective rhyming teaches the names for groups past the sextet. I didn't know the words for eight and nine. Marjorie's art made the book swing.
Her most invaluable contribution is the barrier-erasing treat of all ages and sizes depicted in her orchestra. A few tuxedoed men might have looked pompous but were grooving away. The rest were intelligent women musicians. I was struck by a heavyset elderly dame: magnificent in this very energetic, professional element. It later occurred to me that many jazz greats were heavyset. Two cats and a mouse join them all the way. The magnificent oboe-player's dog joins them after. There was no time for a short children's booklet to germinate a lengthily-constructed story. I nevertheless derived a great deal of profundity out of the rhyming, jiving, and fun that these vibrant thirty-two pages do contain.
December 27, 2016
I have wanted to read this one for a while now, but could not get it at my local base library on Oahu. So when I found it here in Virginia, I made sure to get it right away.
Our girls are starting to move beyond counting stories, but this is a wonderful tale about various musical instruments and has a lyrical rhyming narrative.
We really enjoyed reading this book aloud together, especially with all the onomatopoeic words. And the illustrations are bold and bright and much deserving of the Caldecott Honor.
This book was selected as one of the March 2011 - Music-Themed reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was also selected as one of the books for the November 2016- Caldecott Honor discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
Our girls are starting to move beyond counting stories, but this is a wonderful tale about various musical instruments and has a lyrical rhyming narrative.
We really enjoyed reading this book aloud together, especially with all the onomatopoeic words. And the illustrations are bold and bright and much deserving of the Caldecott Honor.
This book was selected as one of the March 2011 - Music-Themed reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was also selected as one of the books for the November 2016- Caldecott Honor discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
April 22, 2020
Charming on every level, and subtly educational. 😊
September 30, 2020
I highly recommend trying to get your hands on both the physical copy of this book and the audiobook at the same time. We own the actual picture book and got the audiobook through our library. The book itself has fun pictures (including drawings of each instrument plus some silly animals my kids enjoyed), and the audiobook has the sound of each instrument as it is introduced as well as the sound of the instruments together as ensembles. I think we’ll listen to this multiple times before we return it. Really fun, plus it helps with instrument identification by both appearance and sound, and has some other musical terms thrown in.
March 2, 2015
"Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin" is about an orchestra and all the instruments that are made up in an orchestra. The story shows each instrument and explains the way the instrument sounds with different rhyming words and onamonapias. As the title shows a violin may sound like zin zin zin. Or an oboe that is gleeful, bleating, sobbing, and pleading. The story starts with a lonely trombone and a new instrument is added through time with many adjectives to describe their new sound.
I think this story is great for children, although it doesn't much of a story line or a moral at the end the story is full of fun new words that a child may have not experienced before. It is always beneficial for a child to have a wide vocabulary and they will be able to get that with the extensive descriptive words found throughout this story. Also for young child this book will be fun to learn about all the different instruments if the young child has expressed an interest in music, or a parent is trying to influence a child's life. A child will later hear the instruments live and be able to explain what they sound like.
Not only is the text very descriptive and full of new adjectives for a child to use but the illustration through out the story is very colorful and well detailed. Near the end of the book a parent can quiz their child by asking them what instruments they see and child will have fun telling you that they see a zin zin violin or a trombone that has a mournful moan.
I think this story is great for children, although it doesn't much of a story line or a moral at the end the story is full of fun new words that a child may have not experienced before. It is always beneficial for a child to have a wide vocabulary and they will be able to get that with the extensive descriptive words found throughout this story. Also for young child this book will be fun to learn about all the different instruments if the young child has expressed an interest in music, or a parent is trying to influence a child's life. A child will later hear the instruments live and be able to explain what they sound like.
Not only is the text very descriptive and full of new adjectives for a child to use but the illustration through out the story is very colorful and well detailed. Near the end of the book a parent can quiz their child by asking them what instruments they see and child will have fun telling you that they see a zin zin violin or a trombone that has a mournful moan.
December 17, 2014
This is a very interesting book. It explains the concept of an orchestra through introducing each instrument that is in the orchestra. It uses different sound words to describe the instruments. It also introduces readers to different musical terms such as solo and duet. Lloyd Moss does a great job of creating a story about an orchestra and the different parts of it. Marjorie Priceman does a wonderful job with the illustrations. She makes the instruments seem very life-like. I really felt like I was on stage with the performers as they played the instruments. The illustrations help the story move along and the concept of the story make sense. This is a very good book to help students understand the different musical instruments. I enjoyed reading it and I think that young readers will enjoy it as well. Lloyd Moss a good job of using simple words that make the concept easy to understand. There is a CD that comes with the book. This CD has the sounds that the different instruments make so that the reader can really understand the difference between the instruments.
November 13, 2016
• Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin is a beautiful counting book that teaches students about different instruments and their sounds. The book also tells how many musicians it takes to make up a certain band. It takes readers from one to ten and from solo to a chamber group of ten.
• Pre k – 2nd grade
• This book could be used in a music class or a math or English class.
• I would use this book in a music class to teach students about various instruments.
• I would use this book in reading groups to help students build their reading fluency. I think this a book that students would enjoy reading and they wouldn’t realize they were learning so many things at once.
• I would use this book with the whole class in a pre k math class to help students count. We would all count together as I read the book aloud.
• Other books like this include Little Red Riding Hood written and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
• This book is a Caldecott Honor book and can be found as an ebook or on amazon.
• Pre k – 2nd grade
• This book could be used in a music class or a math or English class.
• I would use this book in a music class to teach students about various instruments.
• I would use this book in reading groups to help students build their reading fluency. I think this a book that students would enjoy reading and they wouldn’t realize they were learning so many things at once.
• I would use this book with the whole class in a pre k math class to help students count. We would all count together as I read the book aloud.
• Other books like this include Little Red Riding Hood written and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
• This book is a Caldecott Honor book and can be found as an ebook or on amazon.
May 31, 2010
Zin Zin Zin a Violin is a concept book introducing musical instruments as well as ensembles. This book goes through a little bit of the orchestrate using rhyming and counting. The pictures and lay out of the pages in this book are in coordination with the type of instrument that is described. The characters also reflect the instruments. An example of this would be when the book introduces the french horn, the character is short and has a bigger mid section. The french horn is short and has a big mid section as well. The words on the french horn pages are wavy just like the tubes of the french horn. I really enjoyed this book and I think it would be a challenging book with the ensembles for ages 4 to 7 but I think it would be appropriate for 7 or 8 year olds that would enjoy the challenge rather than be discouraged by the complex words.
October 6, 2017
A trombone plays a solo, but when other instruments join in, the group becomes a duo, then a trio, and eventually an octet , a nonet, and a full-blown orchestra. The rhyming text doesn't quite work on every page, but the long sweeping lines of the illustrations give a perfect visual representation of musical sounds floating through the air. I would definitely consider including this book in a music or arts themed story time, and honestly, it might even make a nice flannel board!
Read at Preschool Story Time (at another branch) on 8/23/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at preschool story time on 4/19/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at Preschool Story Time (at another branch) on 8/23/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at preschool story time on 4/19/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
September 1, 2017
• 1996 Caldecott Honor Book •
This is a fun way for kids to learn more about music and musical instruments. I really like that it starts with one musician, then another musician is added and another and another, so that each poem ends with solo, duo, trio, quartet, etc. It's also a neat setup to describe one instrument at a time. I thought that was clever. But overall, I'm not a big fan of the art, I didn't think the text was all that great ("Flute, that sends our soul a-shiver, Flute, that slender, silver sliver"), and I don't like the title - the story wasn't focused on the violin, but the violin is one of many instruments mentioned.
Materials used: gouache
Typeface used: 15.5-point Johanna Bold
This is a fun way for kids to learn more about music and musical instruments. I really like that it starts with one musician, then another musician is added and another and another, so that each poem ends with solo, duo, trio, quartet, etc. It's also a neat setup to describe one instrument at a time. I thought that was clever. But overall, I'm not a big fan of the art, I didn't think the text was all that great ("Flute, that sends our soul a-shiver, Flute, that slender, silver sliver"), and I don't like the title - the story wasn't focused on the violin, but the violin is one of many instruments mentioned.
Materials used: gouache
Typeface used: 15.5-point Johanna Bold
February 24, 2011
There aren't a lot of children's books out there that educate children about the orchestra, so with that, this book automatically gets 5 stars in my eyes. However, in addition to that, it is fabulous because it teaches children about solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet, nonet, and a chamber of ten. It also introduces all of the instruments that play in a symphony such as violin, flute, bass, trombone, etc. Its verse rhymes and flows in a whimsical way, and the illustrations are eye-catching. If your family is a lover of music, you will indeed love Zin Zin Zin - A Violin!
February 25, 2014
We see that the orientation of the book is vertical. This book really caught my attention first of all because I love playing the violin and the pictures are truly amazing. Like I mentioned the pictures are awesome and they give us that sense of what is happening in the story. For some reason the images really bring the story to life by giving us what they are saying and what we are reading. The colors are more of pastel/ light, the way the people are drawn are quite interesting since they seem like they curve. The words are really brought into the story they have a font that really seem to relate to the story.
December 13, 2016
So I really liked this book for a few reasons. First it has a decent rhyme and teaches about different instruments (and I like both reading and music). Then it also teaches about a solo, duet, trio, quartet... Anyways, it has a nice rhyme for most of it (it always rhymes but sometimes the rhythm is not as good as, say, "The Little Blue Truck") and it teaches about instruments. My husband complained about one of the pictures (of the bassoon- he says two things were wrong with it, but most kids probably wouldn't notice even if they saw a bassoon in person and in the picture). He still said the book was good and I see myself checking this book out again to introduce different instruments.
November 8, 2016
April 2011: My two year old adored this book but my 7 & 5 year olds did not. It introduces ten different instruments and music vocabulary (duet, trio, nonet, etc.) in rhyme. It has whimsical illustrations.
Reread November 2016: This time I got the book with the CD. I really enjoyed the audio version because you can hear each instrument alone and then added to the other instruments. It adds an extra layer of information and enjoyment to this book. I like the rhyming text and think it is a valuable book. The illustrations are not a particular favorite however.
Reread November 2016: This time I got the book with the CD. I really enjoyed the audio version because you can hear each instrument alone and then added to the other instruments. It adds an extra layer of information and enjoyment to this book. I like the rhyming text and think it is a valuable book. The illustrations are not a particular favorite however.
April 18, 2018
This story follows an orchestra as it counts up from one explaining all the number in comparison of the group of musicians is called. Like the trombone is playing alone, but soon the trumpet makes it a duet, this pattern continues for the rest of the story. This cute little book also offers rhyming along with counting. I could see using this book for a number talk or a unit in music and composition. The illustrations in this story are very rich with color and set up a very soft tone for the story.
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