The Girl Who Heard the Music, How One pianist and 85, 000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island, is the true story of musician Mahani Teave and her island home, Rapa Nui. The authors, Marni Fogelson and Mahani Teave, weave together the themes of the love of music, environmental concerns, and life on a remote island, a thousand miles away from other populated areas. The story opens by describing the music of nature and the ancestral songs that surround Mahani as she grows up. Sometimes visitors to the island would bring musical instruments and give lessons. Once a retired music teacher came with her piano, the only one on the island, and Mahani was quickly able to learn how to play. Her talent was later recognized by a visiting Chilean pianist who convinced Mahani to leave home in order to study at conservatories. She became an accomplished pianist who now plays concerts around the world. However, she returns to her island home whenever she can.
Rapa Nui, known as Easter Island, has been a part of Chile since 1888. The end papers have a map that shows the island’s location. As Rapa Nui became better known, the island became host to 100,000 visitors a year. The result was an overwhelming amount of garbage that ended up in the ocean around the island.
On Mahani’s visits to her island home her concern about the ocean trash combined with her desire for the island to have a music school. She led a project to build the music school with the help of the citizens of Rapa Nui as well as global experts. Together they built the school out of trash: “12 tons of cardboard, 40,000 aluminum cans, 25,000 glass bottles, 20,000 plastic bottles, 2,500 tires.” The school also has solar panels, rainwater barrels, and an organic garden. The nonprofit, NGO Toki, became a source for preserving the island, and the ancestral cultural legacy, together with music lessons and instruments for the children.
The digitally painted illustrations by Marta Alvarez Miguens are vivid and uplifting with cultural insights. From the beginning of the story, readers learn about the Moai, 13 feet tall statues carved from volcanic ash that weigh about 400 tons each and are said to watch over the island. A note at the story’s end states there are 800 Moai on the island, each different and reflecting the faces of ancestors and leaders. Additionally, the Rapanui language is scattered throughout the story in meaningful ways with definitions at the end. The authors also provide biographical notes as well as informational sections which may inspire further research. –Recommended by Janelle Mathis, Professor Emeritus, University of North Texas
Title: The Girl Who Heard the Music, How One pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island
Authors: Marni Fogelson and Mahani Teave
Illustrator: Marta Alvarez Miguens
ISBN: 9781728262314
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Pub. Date: April 4, 2023
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- Themes: Girl Who Heard The Music, Janelle Mathis, Mahani Teave, Marni Fogelson, Marta Alvarez Miguens
- Descriptors: WOW Recommends