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The Philharmonic Gets Dressed (Reading Rainbow Books) Paperback – Picture Book, October 15, 1986

by Karla Kuskin (Author), Marc Simont (Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 128 ratings
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"It is almost Friday night. Outside, the dark is getting darker," and here and there around the city ninety-two men and thirteen women are getting dressed to go to work. First they bathe and put on their underwear. Then they don special black-and-white apparel. Then when the one hundred and five people are completely ready, each takes a musical instrument and travels to midtown. There, at 8:30 tonight, they will work together: playing.

In these pages Karla Kuskin and Marc Simont combine their talents to give us a delightful and unusual inside view of one way an orchestra prepares.

Nominee, 1983 American Book Award
Notable Children's Books of 1983 (ALA)
1983 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1982 (NYT)
A Reading Rainbow Selection
1983 Teachers' Choices (NCTE)
Children's Books of 1982 (Library of Congress)

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 8 years
  2. Part of series
    Reading Rainbow
  3. Print length
    48 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Lexile measure
    750L
  6. Dimensions
    6.75 x 0.25 x 9.25 inches
  7. Publisher
    HarperCollins
  8. Publication date
    October 15, 1986
  9. ISBN-10
    9780064431248
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0064431248
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The 105 members of the orchestra are shown showering, dressing, traveling and setting themselves up on stage for an evening's concert. . . . One almost hears the music when, at the end, they begin to play."--"SLJ.""One of those rare collaborations to which the word classic instantly adheres."--"Time."

About the Author

Karla Kuskin wrote more than fifty books for children, including the Philharmonic Gets Dressed, Green as a Bean, and Moon, Have You Met My Mother She was the winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry, among other honors. And once, long ago, may have given her son a woolly red hat.



Marc Simont was born in 1915 in Paris. His parents were from the Catalonia region of Spain, and his childhood was spent in France, Spain, and the United States. Encouraged by his father, Joseph Simont, an artist and staff illustrator for the magazine L'Illustration, Marc Simont drew from a young age. Though he later attended art school in Paris and New York, he considers his father to have been his greatest teacher.

When he was nineteen, Mr. Simont settled in America permanently, determined to support himself as an artist. His first illustrations for a children's book appeared in 1939. Since then, Mr. Simont has illustrated nearly a hundred books, working with authors as diverse as Margaret Wise Brown and James Thurber. He won a Caldecott Honor in 1950 for illustrating Ruth Krauss's The Happy Day, and in in 1957 he was awarded the Caldecott Medal for his pictures in A Tree is Nice, by Janice May Udry.

Internationally acclaimed for its grace, humor, and beauty, Marc Simont's art is in collections as far afield at the Kijo Picture Book Museum in Japan, but the honor he holds most dear is having been chosen as the 1997 Illustrator of the Year in his native Catalonia. Mr. Simont and his wife have one grown son, two dogs and a cat. They live in West Cornwall, Connecticut. Marc Simont's most recent book is The Stray Dog.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 006443124X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; Reprint edition (October 15, 1986)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780064431248
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0064431248
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 750L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 0.25 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 128 ratings

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Karla Kuskin

Karla Kuskin

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
128 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Musicians would like it
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2023
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Unique for musicians.
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Karim
5.0 out of 5 stars Grew up with this
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2023
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I grew up with this book and credit it with moving to NY.
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Traci Ohlmann
5.0 out of 5 stars The Philharmonic Gets Dressed
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2009
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I love this book. I have been an elementary music teacher for almost 20 years and it is one of my favorite books to read to primary elementary children. It sets up the anticipation of "What kind of work do these '105 people all dressed in black and white' do?" in a fun and interesting way. And it is good for helping to explain the role of the conductor and how his/her job is different from the rest of the musicians. It is also good at humanizing the job of being a professional musician; they are just people who bathe and get dressed and have families and pets and ride trains and buses and subways just like you or me. I owned a paper back copy of this book for years and just recently treated myself to a new hardback copy because the old one was so well loved that the pages are coming out! You won't be disappointed. The Philharmonic Gets Dressed (Reading Rainbow Book)
2 people found this helpful
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Leslie
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun depiction of the members of the Philharmonic preparing for their performance
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2018
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This book has been a favorite of mine ever since I read it to my daughter when she was a little girl. Well she’s all grown up now but I still wanted to purchase a copy of it to add to my library. The story is detailed and delightful. The artwork is wonderful and amusing, and really helps to bring the story to life. I am not a member of a symphony nor a regular symphony goer. However when I read the Philharmonic Gets Dressed, I really feel that I am! After reading the lively Philharmonic Gets Dressed, I had a huge smile on my face-again.
One person found this helpful
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Charlotte
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite childhood books
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2016
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One of my favorite childhood books, my parents used to read this to me all the time when I was 2 or 3. I lost all of my books in a flood a number of years back so I re-bought this one to replace my original copy, I have the tiniest house - but I had to have this book - one of a few I insist upon having in my house at all times. Beautifully written, keeps children engaged and dreaming about their futures - or at least I always did - I've been playing cello since I was 2 1/2 - this book made my mind think about the things I could do with my cello when I grew up lol. I've always been a great day-dreamer though ;-)
3 people found this helpful
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Kathy Milwaukee
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and not just for the musically inclined.
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2012
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This book was a favorite for all three of my now-20's-aged children while growing up - all of them very bright but none of us musically inclined. It is a book about getting dressed. About diversity in a community of people. About "sameness" in a group of people. About how the different parts all come together in a beautiful whole. The illustrations are timeless and fascinating. Did we chuckle at some of the "getting dressed" pictures? Yes! I'm sure the author, illustrator and editors intended a chuckle. The reviews that berate this book for its "inappropriate" illustrations are way off base. When did it become inappropriate to have humor in a classroom anyway?!?
3 people found this helpful
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MegP
3.0 out of 5 stars Caution!
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2012
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I am a soon-to-be music teacher and purchased this book because it's great reviews and it being on several top 20 lists I found. I like how the book describes the instrumentalists and the conductor getting ready to go to work (most kids are used to grown-ups working 9-5 jobs). I thought it would be a great book to use with a cross-curricular theme (describing how many people were doing certain things, you could easily pull math into your lesson plan). I would caution parents and teachers though that the first pages of the book are of people in various stages on undress. It starts out with people in the bathtub and the shower, all of the "naughty bits" are covered. There are also pictures of ladies and men putting on different undergarments. One illustration in particular show the crack in a gentleman's behind and another shows the full outline of a woman's breasts. If you would rather your children not see these things, this book probably isn't for you. However, I don't think this book is a total wash for classroom usage. One could easily skip from the first page to the to the page in which the conductor is getting ready. At this point all of the characters are dressed. I still plan on using this book in my classroom. I probably won't put it out in my reading center though!
5 people found this helpful
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Elliott S. Mccrory
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the finest books for little children ever!
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2011
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I love children's items that transcend children: The movie "Toy Story (1)", Legos, Erector Sets, and a handful of book--like this one. I bought this book so we could have an extra copy to give to the next young parents we meet that haven't had the pleasure of reading this book. When we give that one away, I'll buy another, and another, and another!

I hope I do not "spoil" this book for you by quoting the last line, which gives me chills every time I hear it (and I have committed to memory):

"Their work is to play ... beautifully!" (I'm getting chill-bumps right now!!).

Sigh!
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Marina
5.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom
Reviewed in Brazil on July 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
Adoro esse livro. Acho as ilustrações dele inspiradoras
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful!
Reviewed in Japan on August 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
A wonderful book! The illustrations - the story - the musicians as they prepare for the evening's performance - All so delightful, full of fun and imagination. I bought this as a gift, and the recipient absolutely adores it. I am so happy with my purchase.
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Finisterre
5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2015
Verified Purchase
My classical-music and orchestra-mad 3-year-old adores this book. We have to read it daily and she has to talk about absolutely everything on the page. It's unusual, fascinating and there is a lot of good repetition in it. It's also just the right side of lyrical. Wonderful!
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Mogs
5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
Loved the illustrations in particular
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"jonathan"
4.0 out of 5 stars Ben loves it
Reviewed in Japan on July 14, 2002
Verified Purchase
Another book that Ben (our 20 month old son) loves to have read to him again and again.
From a parent's point of view, the illustrations are nice, and it's probably good to give the kids a view into someone's life that they probably wouldn't otherwise... but it's not an interesting story.
One person found this helpful
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