Children's books about music Archives -

Picture Book Review for Women’s History Month – Beatrice and the Nightingale

March 5, 2026
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1900s, Ages 6-9, Biography, Children's Book Reviews, Girls & Women, Holidays & Celebrations, Juvenile Fiction, Juvenile Nonfiction, Juvenile Nonfiction - Biography/Autobiography, Performing Arts, Technology, Women, Women's History, Women's History Month

BEATRICE AND THE NIGHTINGALE

Written by Patricia Newman

Illustrated by Isabelle Follath

(Peachtree; $19.99, Ages 6-9)

From the publisher:

“In 1924, an audience of more than one million listeners across the world listened in amazement to the first live radio broadcast of a nightingale accompanying the young cellist Beatrice Harrison.”

From Booklist:

“A gentle gem of a story [with] charming ink-and-watercolor illustrations . . . A delightful introduction to a lesser-known life, and a welcome reminder of the wonder that exists in the natural world.”

Review:

Beatrice Harrison grew up surrounded by music: in her home, through her father’s regimental band …

Beatrice and the Nightingale int1 surrounded by music. — Interior art from Beatrice and the Nightingale, written by Patricia Newman and illustrated by Isabelle Follath, Peachtree Publishing, ©2026.

even in nature. But nothing stirred her heart quite like the cello. So when her mother brought one home, Beatrice practiced and practiced, dreaming of the day she would share its music with the world.

Beatrice and the Nightingale int2 Beatrice practiced. — Interior art from Beatrice and the Nightingale, written by Patricia Newman and illustrated by Isabelle Follath, Peachtree Publishing, ©2026.

By 17, she had won Germany’s highest musical prize. She went on to share music throughout Europe and Russia, even playing for the President of the United States.

One day, while practicing in her garden, a nightingale joined Beatrice, lending its voice whenever she stopped playing. Night after night, the pair performed, sparking an idea in Beatrice’s mind. What if everyone could hear their duet?

Beatrice struggled to convince the BBC of the merits of her plan—broadcasting her nature concert live on the radio—but eventually she did, and her concert was a huge success! For 12 years, the BBC recorded Beatrice’s annual concert with the nightingale and aired it to their worldwide audience.

Beatrice and the Nightingale int3 BBC and Beatrice awaiting the nightingale. — Interior spread from Beatrice and the Nightingale, written by Patricia Newman and illustrated by Isabelle Follath, Peachtree Publishing, ©2026.

Charming watercolor illustrations bring Beatrice and the Nightingale, this nonfiction biography by Patricia Newman and Isabelle Follath to life. Best known for her nonfiction STEM titles, Sibert Honor recipient Newman expands her repertoire with this STEAM-tastic book, highlighting the connection between music and science, while Follath’s whimsical conceptualization of musical sounds further marries that connection. As per usual, Newman’s extensive backmatter and teacher’s guide make this book perfect for the classroom—especially during Women’s History Month.

-Reviewed by Roxanne Troup

Please see below for links to more reviews from previous Women’s History Months.

Three Picture Books for Women’s History Month

Five Children’s Books for Women’s History Month

The Music of Our Lives

Karen B. Estrada reviews Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! (a sonic adventure).

I have always been a fan of Wynton Marsalis, both as a musician and as a cultural educator, so when I heard he had penned a children’s book, I had to check it out. As I leafed through the pages of Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! (a sonic adventure), ($15.99, Candlewick Press, Ages 3 and up) the words reverberated in my head, dripping with the melodic notes of Marsalis’s trumpet and the smooth tenor of his voice. (If you have never heard Marsalis speak or play, you must! Both his words and music exude a soulful quality that seemingly dance through the air to your ears).

In his illustrations, Paul Rogers uses bold colors and simple designs that have a jazzy edge to them, which pair in perfect harmony with the words on the page. Though I’ve never been, Rogers illustrations brings me to the porch of a New Orleans’ home, or so I pretend, on page one. Outside, I note the sounds of a mouse “eeek-eeeek-eeeking” its way around the corner as a young boy peaks out the back door. I can almost hear the “squeeeak” of the metal hinges as the screen door swings open inviting me inside to enjoy the mellow voice of a saxophone. As we follow the young boy (whom I imagine as a young Wynton) around Rogers’ soulfully drawn town, the adult Marsalis selects sounds we hear everyday to pen a symphony of noises. The sounds that echo out from the pages of this book are those from musical instruments to everyday actions as simple as buttering one’s toast. Maraslis takes noises that, though we hear them everyday, most of us probably pay little attention to (or even try to tune out), and turns them into music. He shows us that music, it its most basic form, surrounds us everyday. From the rumbling of trucks, to the “tlock…tlock” of a dripping faucet, our lives are never without accompaniment.

This book is an excellent introduction to sounds for young children. It goes beyond the standard (and overdone) sounds of the cow and the hen and the dog, and introduces the sounds of both instrumentation and everyday life into a child’s musical vocabulary. For any lover of jazz, or anyone looking for a different kind of children’s book of sounds, Wynton Marsalis’s Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! (a sonic adventure) is definitely worth checking out!