Aaron Copland, b. 1900. He composed Fanfare for the Common Man in 1942 and Appalachian Spring in 1944. He won a Pulitzer Prize for the latter piece. Copland wrote a book called What to Listen for in Music. Have any of you read it? Is it good? (I’m in the midst of an ongoing discussion with a group of young adults about what makes music worthwhile and how to judge music and even whether to judge music by any objective standards. If any of my readers can suggest any other titles related to this topic, I’d be appreciative.)
Astrid Lindgren, b. 1907. I have a daughter who could easily be taken for Pippi Longstocking–as long as she didn’t open her mouth. My little Pippi is by far the most demure, quiet, shy little girl in the family. Z-baby, who doesn’t resemble red-headed Pippi at all is brave, bold, strong, and not afraid to let everyone within hearing distance know all about it. So much for physical resemblances. Pippi Longstocking and her sequels and still good reads.
Claude Monet, b. 1840. Read Linnea in Monet’s Garden. And here’s a Monet line drawing that you can print out and color yourself.
Nancy Tafuri, b. 1946, author and illustrator of Have You Seen My Duckling? Some ideas for extending the learning and fun of this book..
I read Copland’s What to Listen for in Music some years ago (before I began posting book reviews) and as I recall I enjoyed reading it. On the other hand, I’m not sure I got any lasting benefit from it. Dunno. For what it’s worth I still have the book, and I rather expect that I’ll read it again one day.