Book Review of Metrognome
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The Children’s Book Review
What to Expect: Ambition, city life, freedom, music, friendship.
With a clever play on words and some iconic Germanic folklore imagery, this picture book tells a delightful story about both music and the urge some people have to experience life to the fullest.
Cora is not happy to spend her whole life as a garden gnome, standing around and holding flowers. She dreams of doing more, seeing more, and being more, so one night, she runs away from home to live in the big city. Cora loves her new life in the city, selling apples and seeing new things—and the thing she loves most of all is music.
When her new friend, the inventor Mr. Maelzel, hears how much she loves music, he invents a wonderful new device that will enable her to take part in the production of music—a metro(g)nome to help musicians keep the beat! Soon, Cora is working with the most famous musician of all—Ludwig von Beethovan! Will this be enough for Cora, or will her drive to travel, explore, and experience continue to grow? The world is so huge, and there is so much to see!
Cora is determined and curious, full of questions and interest in the world around her, making her an excellent role model for young readers. As well as being a lovely fairy tale, the story also teaches readers about music, from common terminology (beat, tempo, symphony) to the power music has to influence human emotions. The artwork features a soft color palette and a fairy-tale atmosphere, creating a comforting and nostalgic feel.
Metrognome is a lovely story for both music educators working with young students and for music lovers in general.
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About the Author
Jana Cruz is an educator from the Pacific Northwest of the United States. She has been an educator since 2001. She has taught elementary children, but her great love is teaching English to non-native speakers. She really enjoys learning about other cultures and traditions from her students.
Jana has always enjoyed children’s literature and has been interested in publishing a children’s book since her time at university, when she was assigned a project to write her own children’s book.
Jana loves the creativity and imagination that young children possess. She strives to create stories that children will both relate to and learn from. Metrognome is Jana’s first published book. She is working on publishing another children’s book in the near future.
About the Illustrator
Hanna Stoliar is a children’s book illustrator from the sunny city of Odesa, Ukraine. For the past four years, she has been dedicated to illustrating children’s books, bringing stories to life with warmth and imagination. With a background in watercolor painting and traditional techniques, her journey into illustration began with a lifelong passion for drawing and a childhood dream of creating picture books.
She holds a cultural and technical education and has also taught drawing to children—an experience that enriched her perspective on visual storytelling. Travel is a major source of inspiration for her, influencing both the style and emotion in her work.
Her artistic style can be described as gentle and heartfelt, often leaning toward a cartoon-like aesthetic that resonates with young readers. She believes every story guides her hand, shaping how she visualizes characters, moods, and moments.
She is a firm believer in the power of illustrations, especially for early readers who first “read” a story through images before they can read the words. Creating that visual entry point into a book is her joy—and her mission.
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