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Hello!I’m Maestro Mouse.I’ll be your guide. So comealong on my wild ride! “ Brown does notdisappoint. . . .A delightfulmusical debutsure to be a hitat story hours.” 2020 by Dan Brown. Illustrations by Susan Batori—School Library Journal,starred reviewFrom #1 New York Times bestsellingauthor DAN BROWN comes his picture book debut,W ILD SYMPHON Y
Travel throughthe trees andacross the seas withMAESTROMOUSE andhis musicalfriends!4 Things YOU Need to Know About This BookPuzzle Your Way Through! You mightdifferent animal—meet a big blue whale andspeedy cheetahs, tiny beetles and gracefulswans—and each has special wisdom to sharein the form of a lyrical poem!spot the surprises Maestro Mouse has left foryou—a hiding buzzy bee, jumbled letters that spellout clues, and even a coded message to solve!Dance Along! The music you envision asuniquely entertaining reading experience thatwill captivate kids and adults alike and makethem want to visit the characters again andagain—whether through the text, the songs,or the art!you read is REAL! Each animal has its ownaccompanying musical composition, makingthis an engaging story that you can listen andmove to.Enjoy Again and Again! This book is a 2020 by Dan Brown. Illustrations by Susan BatoriRead Along! Each spread focuses on a
QAwith Dan!Uncover the Secrets ofWILD SYMPHONYPhoto Credit: G.W. Brown& 2020 by Dan Brown. Illustrations by Susan BatoriWild Symphony is your first picturebook! Can you tell us about it?As a child, I loved the picture books of Dr. Seuss,with their zany creatures and silly poetry. WithWild Symphony, I wanted to create a similarmagical world of pictures and poetry aimed at anew generation of young people, and I also hopedto take it one step further. Wild Symphony is verymuch a read-aloud picture book, but it alsocontains a surprising musical twist. For each ofthe animals in the story, I composed a uniquepiece of modern classical music—a short, funcomposition that reflects that animal’s specialpersonality—and through an exciting newtechnology, each animal’s music accompaniesthe illustrations and poems to create a fullyimmersive storytelling experience.Music plays such a prominentrole in this book. When and how didyour passion for music begin?I grew up with classical music. My parents weretrained musicians who chose not to have a TV, soinstead I played piano, sang in choirs, and went tolots of concerts. Music was a secret sanctuary forme as a child. It calmed me when I felt frustrated,was a trusted friend when I felt lonely, helped meexpress my joy when I was happy, and, best ofall, sparked my creativity and imagination. Evennow, I play piano every day—usually after I finisha long day of writing.
Q&Awith Dan! WILD SYMPHONYWild Symphony has its own app to playthe MUsic associated with each page.Why did you feel it was important toinclude this feature?I wanted to create a book that encourages youngpeople to experience the power (and fun!) oflistening to classical music. Using augmented reality,the Wild Symphony book is able to “magically”perform the specific piece associated with eachanimal—whether that piece is upbeat and fun like“Bouncing Kangaroo,” reflective and calm like“Wondrous Whale,” or zany and silly like“Dancing Boars” or “Busy Beetles.” The music isalso easily accessible through various streaming services so young people can listen anywhere, anytime.Ideally, the book will help spawn a new generationof people who appreciate classical music.Uncover the Secrets ofIt’s so rare to see a picture bookwith so many layers! How did thestorytelling, art, and music evolve asyou developed the book?I love layered storytelling, and my novels alwaysattempt to weave together varied themes. With WildSymphony, I was excited to create a truly layeredexperience by using three different languagessimultaneously—art, music, and poetry. In thesame way that an opera captivates its audience bypresenting beautiful sets, dramatic music, andlyrical drama, Wild Symphony strives to be animmersive feast for eyes, ears, and mind, all at thesame time. And, of course, a HUGE part of thatfeast is the magical artwork of Susan Batori, whoseillustrations seem to leap off the page with anirresistible sense of humor. I’m an enormous fan ofSusan’s work, and I imagine a lot of young peoplewill feel the same way very soon. 2020 by Dan Brown. Illustrations by Susan BatoriThis is such a unique project.How did the idea originate?I have always enjoyed playing and composingmusic. Some years ago, I was out walking neara marsh and heard many different kinds offrogs all singing together—croakers, peepers,bullfrogs—and it sounded like a classical fugueto me. When I got home, I composed a little piececalled “Happy Frogs,” and wrote a poem to go withit. I loved that creative process so much that I justkept going. Twenty animalslater, Wild Symphonywas born!
QA&with Dan! WILD SYMPHONYWhat is the value in sharing musicwith kids at an early age?Exposure to music at a young age has beenscientifically shown to stimulate creativity,focus, and emotional intelligence in youngpeople. When I was an infant, my parentsexposed me to enormous amounts of music(including while I was in the womb!), and Ibelieve this experience helped stimulate myimagination and creativity, which becamevery important to me later in life. 2020 by Dan Brown. Illustrations by Susan BatoriWe hear there are some puzzlesin this book. Can youtell us about them?As a kid, I loved puzzles—all kinds of puzzles.This is probably because on Christmasmorning my parents would create puzzles forme to solve in order to find my presents. Theseearly treasure hunts and games instilled in mea love of puzzle-solving, which I wanted toshare in Wild Symphony. So, on every page, I’vehidden a series of jumbled letters that readerscan find and unscramble to spell the name ofan orchestral instrument. There is also ahard-to-spot buzzy bumblebee who likes tohide in funny places, like inside a wild boar’snostril! And finally, I’ve hidden several othercodes and secretsthroughout the book,but I won’t tell youwhere becausefinding them ishalf the fun.Uncover the Secrets ofYou offer readers a littlebit of wisdom with eachsong. Will you share some withus? Are there any thatreally resonate with you?Each of the animals in Wild Symphony shares apiece of advice for navigating life. These simpletips are designed to get children thinking aboutthe traits we all admire, such as compassion,patience, respect, and confidence, as well asbigger themes of mindfulness, taking lifeslowly, community, and, above all, being trueto your emotions. My personal favorite is themessage offered by the busy beetles, whoremind us that while it is important to workhard, we must also take time out to play.(I’m still working on that one.)What impact do you hopeWild Symphony will have onyoung readers and families?We live in an age of headphones and earbuds,and music is often experienced alone. My hopefor Wild Symphony is that families will choose toenjoy the music together, either whilereading the book or as fun background musicwhile they’re doing other things. As a specialtreat, some families may choose toattend one of the many liveconcerts of Wild Symphony that willbe performed around the world.
AppHow ToIf you would liketo hear originalmusic compositionsthat pair with theanimals while youread the book, openthe camera on your phone ortablet to scan the QR code(or visit wildsymphony.com)to download the free app.Hold yourphone over anypage in the book toscan the page andlisten to thatanimal’s song.Or just tap the arrows in the bottomleft and right corners to switchbetween pages. 2020 by Dan Brown. Illustrations by Susan BatoriRevisit your favorite animal’s song atany time by clicking the animal in the“animals” dropdown in the top left corner.Happy reading! (And listening!)
yFMrtieendseM!Anxious Ostrichcan get a littlestressed,but she knowsit’s okay to taketime to unwind!Wild Boar neverjudges a book byits cover!Happy Hippoloves the simplethings in life—like a muddypond and clumpsof weedsto nibble on! 2020 by Dan Brown. Illustrations by Susan BatoriSee ourbook for thefull symphony!Eager Elephant knowspractice is worth it, no matterhow hard learning can be!Clumsy Kittensdon’t mind alittle tumble—they know they’llland on theirpaws!
irresistible sense of humor. I'm an enormous fan of Susan's work, and I imagine a lot of young people will feel the same way very soon. This is such a unique project. How did the idea originate? I have always enjoyed playing and composing music. Some years ago, I was out walking near a marsh and heard many different kinds of
