The Story Orchestra: Carnival of the Animals - Katy Flint

Music and story combine in this beautiful book, Carnival Of The Animals. Push the button on each of the 10 double pages to hear an orchestra playing excerpts of Camille Saint-Saëns' beautiful suite for children.

One day, two brothers discover a magical animal kingdom behind their bookcase. They are greeted by the royal lion with his shaggy mane; ask for directions from an old lonely tortoise; take a ride on some lumbering elephants; topple a skeleton of dinosaur bones; and swim among a school of shimmering fish. If only they could take them all home...

The book includes extracts from 'The Swan', 'Aquarium', 'Fossils', and 'Finale' (From Disney's Fantasia) along with a totally new story to link the pieces together.

At the back of the book, you'll find a short biography of the composer with details about Carnival of the Animals. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms.

The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet and music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores. Check out the other books: Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.