The Boy Who Said Wow

February 15, 2024
Music moves a nonverbal child to speak. The narrator explains that Ronan was "born quiet. Some days he hardly says a word." Today, when Father and Mother suggest outings to the beach or park, he's quiet. But he looks up when Grandfather bursts in and proposes attending a concert. With refreshing optimism, Grandfather proclaims it "an adventure," though Ronan's parents worry about the "challenge" and "risk" of taking him to a performance. And when Ronan, his dog, and Grandfather reach Symphony Hall, an adventure it is. When the music starts, Ronan is swept away in a whirl of notes. Collectively, the instruments sound like "a sky full of stars," sending him and his cheerful pup into a space-themed reverie. Boss notes that "the darker instruments sound cool and frightening" and the lighter ones sound "warm and friendly" but does not name the instruments, a missed opportunity to deepen readers' understanding of the music enthralling Ronan. Audience and orchestra members alike are moved to laughter and applause when the music stops, and an awed Ronan utters his first "WOW!" Kheiriyeh's endearing, pastel-hued cartoon illustrations convey Ronan's astonishment and joy. Though an author's note explains that the story is based on an actual nonverbal child's experience of a Mozart piece in 2019, details such as Mother's pearls and housedress and Grandfather's finned car evoke a bucolic 1950s setting. Ronan and his family present white; background characters are racially diverse. A heartwarming testament to music's emotional power. (Picture book. 4-6)

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Starred review from February 15, 2024
Preschool-Grade 3 *Starred Review* Ronan is a boy who rarely says a word, so it's hard to know what he's thinking. But when Grandfather asks him to accompany him to a concert, a new experience for Ronan, he goes. At the concert hall, they sit in bright red seats and watch the musicians take the stage with their instruments. The audience becomes quiet, waiting for the music. Some instruments sound "cool and frightening," while others seem "warm and friendly." Together, "they sound like a sky full of stars." When the music ends, everyone is silent, until Ronan loudly says, "WOW!" It "fills up the hearts of all the people in the audience," who laugh at first and then applaud for Ronan and the orchestra, too. Based on an actual 2019 Mozart concert performed in Boston, attended by a nine-year-old nonverbal child named Ronan, the story is beautifully told with just enough well-chosen words. Created using ink, watercolor, chalk, acrylic, and collage, the imaginative art suggests the boy's reverie while listening to the music, as well as the physical settings at home, in his grandfather's car, and at home again, where the initially rather staid atmosphere becomes warmer and livelier after his return. An unusual picture book that tells a memorable story.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024
This fictional account relates the joyful moment when, in 2019, a nonverbal ("which means he usually doesn't speak much" per an appended note) nine-year-old named Ronan Mattin declared "wow!" after hearing a Mozart composition at Boston's Symphony Hall. With economical language, Boss emphasizes Ronan's silence: "'Shall we go to the beach?' Ronan is quiet...'Shall we go to the park?' Ronan is quiet." Suddenly, Grandfather bursts in, wearing classy attire, and invites Ronan to the symphony. Mother and Father seem concerned but agree, and Grandfather, Ronan, and Ronan's little dog drive to the noisy city for the show. Kheiriyeh employs warm colors, with an emphasis on reds, in her inviting mixed-media illustrations. The musicians and audience members are humorously exaggerated, with dramatic hairstyles and old-fashioned clothes. Visually, the book soars when the music (identified in the author's note as Mozart's Masonic Funeral Music) begins. The illustrations show Ronan's inner response; he and his dog appear floating through space, transported by the music's many moods. Ronan's "wow!" causes the audience and musicians to laugh and cheer, and the moment feels earned after these dynamic spreads. Boss's use of sound effects ("Zimmity Zimmity Zum") make this a pleasing read-aloud. The book ends on an emotionally satisfying note, with Ronan dreaming about his cosmic musical experience. Brian E. Wilson

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
This fictional account relates the joyful moment when, in 2019, a nonverbal ("which means he usually doesn't speak much" per an appended note) nine-year-old named Ronan Mattin declared "wow!" after hearing a Mozart composition at Boston's Symphony Hall. With economical language, Boss emphasizes Ronan's silence: "'Shall we go to the beach?' Ronan is quiet...'Shall we go to the park?' Ronan is quiet." Suddenly, Grandfather bursts in, wearing classy attire, and invites Ronan to the symphony. Mother and Father seem concerned but agree, and Grandfather, Ronan, and Ronan's little dog drive to the noisy city for the show. Kheiriyeh employs warm colors, with an emphasis on reds, in her inviting mixed-media illustrations. The musicians and audience members are humorously exaggerated, with dramatic hairstyles and old-fashioned clothes. Visually, the book soars when the music (identified in the author's note as Mozart's Masonic Funeral Music) begins. The illustrations show Ronan's inner response; he and his dog appear floating through space, transported by the music's many moods. Ronan's "wow!" causes the audience and musicians to laugh and cheer, and the moment feels earned after these dynamic spreads. Boss's use of sound effects ("Zimmity Zimmity Zum") make this a pleasing read-aloud. The book ends on an emotionally satisfying note, with Ronan dreaming about his cosmic musical experience.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)