Mole Music by David McPhail (1999) begins with illustrations on the title and copyright pages. McPhail's illustrations are essential to understanding the narrative because they picture parallel stories: one below ground and one above. The main character is a mole. "Mole liked his life, but lately he had begun to feel there was something missing." One-day, he hears someone playing a violin on TV. He adores the music and orders a violin for himself. When mole first attempts to make music, "all he made was a horrible screeching sound." But he doesn't give up. Step by step, he plays one note, then a scale, and then a simple song. Years go by and mole matures into an accomplished violinist. The world above ground is transformed by his music! This is a Reading Rainbow book, and I can feel why. The illustrations are so narrative and the message profound.
Violin Studio has Music Journal Helper. Sapphire Greene has Parts of the Violin. Violin by Becca has Violin Fingering Chart (first Position Notes).
