#242 of 1001 · March 30, 2021

What if vestiges of the past could somehow cling to a specific location, truly forgotten but waiting to be rediscovered? The Old Banjo by Dennis Haseley and Stephen Gammell imagines just such a paranormal phenomenon and imbues it with quiet meaning and gentle power. A boy and his father, working on their farm, hear a banjo, a trombone, a piano, a violin, a trumpet, and a clarinet mysteriously playing by themselves, echoing the sounds they once made in the hands of a family band. They bring as many of the dusty old instruments as possible outside, where the music rings out in the night like the inscrutable words of an ancient tongue, a song of days gone by. Haseley’s writing takes the form of a sensory tone poem, replete with evocative imagery and well-chosen line breaks. Gammell’s illustrations in black, white, and gray hold an eerie beauty, the misty landscapes and shadowy interiors lending the proceedings an aura of ghostly calm. #banjo #trombone #piano #violin #trumpet #clarinet #music #memory #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks