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Allen & Unwin

The Story Orchestra: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

$44.90 NZD

Discover the spellbinding magic of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in this musical reimagining of Mendelssohn’s most famous suites – push the button in each scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Mendelssohn’s score.

This story takes us to Athens where the Duke and Queen are to be married. However, not everyone is as happy, and on one midsummer's night, mischievous fairies, lively actors and young lovers get caught up in a series of pranks and events in the nearby woods.

As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes of Shakespeare's most beloved and comedic play, press the buttons on each page to hear 10 excerpts from the incidental music! Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the sounds, encouraging interactive learning and introducing children to this beautiful piece of music.

At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Felix Mendelssohn, with details about his composition of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms.

The perfect primer to introduce children to classical music.

The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores.

WARNING: This product contains a button battery. Keep batteries out of reach of children. To activate the battery pull the tab from behind the secure battery on first use. This book complies to Australian Safety Standards.

Manufacturer’s note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require a firm push in exact location to work, which may be hard for young children. All sound clips are 10 seconds long.

  • All sound clips are 10 seconds long
  • 24 pages
  • 4 - 7 years (younger with assistance for buttons)
  • 27.31 x 1.27 x 31.12cm