Welcome to the Symphony    by Carolyn Sloan & James Williamson Order:  USA  Can Workman, 2015 (2015) Hardcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Here's something intriguing and unusual. Welcome to the Symphony is an interactive picture book (with nineteen sound buttons on the right) that takes children to a concert hall where an orchestra plays Beethoven's stirring Symphony No. 5! Young readers join three excited mice, dressed up for the occasion. After they take their seats, terms are explained (e.g. pitch and note, dynamics and tempo) and we can press a button to hear how tuning is done. Press another button to listen to the beginning of Beethoven's Fifth, followed by variations on the main theme. Further buttons let us listen to the different sounds of a violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, trombone, and timpani. Other instruments (not played in this particular symphony) get a mention as well. The notions of a musical conversation, melody and harmony are introduced and pressing buttons yields examples. Finally, we and the three mice get to listen to the end of the first movement - Bravo! At the back of this engaging volume is a brief bio of Beethoven and a discussion on Raising a Child to Love Classical Music. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews