When Rubin Plays, Gracey Zhang
When Rubin Plays, Gracey Zhang
List: $6.99 | Sale: $4.90
Club: $3.49

When Rubin Plays

Author: Gracey Zhang

Narrator: Oliver Wyman

Unabridged: 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/12/2024

Synopsis

From the PW Flying Starts creative force, Gracey Zhang, comes a touching and beautiful story about community, finding your own voice, doing what you love the most, and expressing your passion with FORTE!Rubin loves the beautiful sounds that are played by the orchestra. He wants to learn to play the violin and make his own music. But when Rubin plays, it doesn't sound like he imagines it should. Rubin goes into the forest to practice alone and despite only getting the violin to screech, he finds an unlikely audience that loves his unique style.In another inspiring and lyrical audiobook that deftly dives into the psyche and heart of a child's viewpoint and experience, the creator of Lala's Words, Gracey Zhang, offers confidence to everyone who longs to master something that can be difficult and shows that there is only one way to do something right: that is to do it your own special way.This is the next audiobook from one of today's most gifted young creators. Zhang is a Publishers Weekly's Spring 2021 Children's Flying Starts creator and her debut, Lala's Words, was the 2022 EJK Award Winner, with endless praise: "Little Lala helps the weeds in the vacant lot blossom into full, gorgeous plants just by talking to them and showing them a little love. This picture book is breathtaking, and Zhang's use of color really helps the story come alive. It's like a modern inverse of The Giving Tree." -- Paul Swydan, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore

About Gracey Zhang

Gracey Zhang is an award-winning illustrator, author, and animator with a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. She received the Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award for her debut picture book, Lala’s Words. Gracey has also illustrated The Big Bath House, which received five starred reviews; Nigel and The Moon, a Jumpstart Read for the Record selection; and The Upside Down Hat, which was a The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2022.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Anna on November 11, 2023

I had the pleasure of running into Gracey Zhang in a local bookshop in Brooklyn Heights, NY today. She was sweet, friendly, and so eager to talk to me when I saw her excitedly taking photos with her new book on the shelf. As the daughter of a children's book author and publisher, I had to buy the bo......more

Goodreads review by Molly on November 21, 2023

I adore the illustrations and I love the cats intruding on the concert--I thought story was both funny and poignant and a tribute to practicing and having your own unique style.......more

Goodreads review by Emily on September 29, 2023

What a delightful little story. My youngest, who longs to play a stringed instrument like her big sisters, loved it!......more

Goodreads review by Tina on October 10, 2023

I love this illustrator's vigorous, free work and here she has created a text to match. I love how the notion of screechy violin playing can be magnificent and victorious. Completely unexpected.......more

Goodreads review by Tracie on August 09, 2023

A would-be musician gains confidence by playing his violin for a clowder of cats. There are plenty of stories about young musicians who master their instrument, but that's not the theme of this story (and precisely what I applaud here). I don't think Rubin truly improves his sound here, but what does......more

Quotes

Praise for When Rubin Plays:* "Spreads and text from Zhang... pulse with joy... as the whole community acknowledges Rubin's unique contribution... in this wondrous tale of trust in self and collaboration." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"This charming story of a boy finding his sound will inspire beginners to persist in their endeavors and to approach their creative journeys with passion and confidence -- even if their skills may not be there yet... A tale that is truly mew-sic to the ears." -- Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Lala's Words:2022 Ezra Jack Keats Award Winner!A Junior Library Guild Selection* "Zhang's powerful debut lifts up the power words have to heal and feed." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"Little Lala helps the weeds in the vacant lot blossom into full, gorgeous plants just by talking to them and showing them a little love. This picture book is breathtaking, and Zhang's use of color really helps the story come alive. It's like a modern inverse of The Giving Tree." -- Paul Swydan, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore, Acton, Massachusetts"Zhang's style, blending warmhearted multiethnic urban caricature with a bold-lined rough-and-tumble zeal, is wholly original. And like the compliment Lala pays her soon science-fiction-size plants, this debut picture book (which also depicts a burgeoning mother-daughter relationship) is 'magnificent.'" -- The New York Times Book Review"This is the enchanting story about the power of words." -- Booklist"Lala's enthusiasm blossoms on the page." -- Kirkus Reviews"A verdant tale of leaves, language, and most importantly, love." -- Molly Idle (author-illustrator of Pearl; Flora and the Flamingo)"Much like an encouraging word, Gracey's vibrant pictures will lift you up." -- Christian Robinson (author of Another; illustrator of Last Stop on Market Street)"A touching fantasy rooted in reality. Gracey's art recalls children's books masters... Ludwig Bemelmans, Roger Duvoisin, David Small. Yet it is fresh and lovely and hasn't been seen before." -- LeUyen Pham (illustrator of Bear Came Along; Grace for President)"Lala's Words is really about magic; a special kind of magic called kindness. Like the sunlight and falling rain, kindness nourishes the world around us. This book, with its lovely art and whimsical story, will also nourish the reader." -- The Fan Brothers (author-illustrators of Ocean Meets Sky; The Night Gardener)

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