Tubby the Tuba

by Paul Tripp, Henry Cole (Illustrator)

For sixty years audiences have been charmed by the adventures of a tuba named Tubby. All day long, Tubby plays oompah, oompah with his orchestra, but what he really wants is to "dance with the pretty little tune." A resourceful bullfrog shows Tubby that everyone has the right to play his own melody. When the recording of Tubby the Tuba was first released, it met with instant success, and it went on to sell 13 million copies. Now these classic characters have been reimagined by Henry Cole in this stunning picture book, which comes complete with a CD of the author's performance with full orchestration. This is a musical and visual treat for a whole new generation to enjoy the world's most famous tuba.

Genres: Music, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

Reviews

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must listen to the CD, though! We read the book without the CD first and it was just okay. Then later I put the CD in and was blown away. Lots of orchestra music. Each individual character is a different instrument, and whenever they talk, that particular instrument plays in the background. The music really comes to life. We checked this book out from the library and have listened to it at least 10 times, and now my 3-yr-old can identify a bunch of instruments just by sound. The music really comes to life, they make it sound like the instruments are laughing at one point, scared at another, excited at another. Then the grand finale music near the end is my son's absolute favorite part of the book. My one complaint is that the entire book is recorded on 1 track, so you can't easily just replay the end song over and over when your kid is requesting it.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Great illustrations, great explanations of some basic musical elements, and a fantastic story line.

[Roger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Educational but dated.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful picture book for music lovers of all ages. Highly recommend getting the book with the accompanying CD.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate how the book starts so mean, but love how it resolves.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who's ever played in a symphony should know (or get to know) Tubby the Tuba. I remember my mom's orchestra played this when I was young (story narrated and accompanied by the symphony) and I have never forgotten it. When I saw this book in a catalog (with fully scored music CD), I couldn't resist! It's another great book that introduces kids to the instruments and sections of the symphony. And if you ever find a live performance of this great story, be sure to go - and tell me about it so I can go, too!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tubby the Tuba wants to play a new tune, but he befriends a frog that shows him how valuable his "voice" is in the orchestra, even if it doesn't often play the melody.

Pencil illustrations give the intruments a realistic look at the same time that they give each piece their own personality and character. The cartoony look of their faces makes for some great facial expressions which help support the text.

[Rebecca Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice book with cute illustrations. It's great for a read aloud; it discusses friendship, bullying, and music. Teachers can introduce new instruments for their students but either bringing them to the classroom or using pictures. Then the students can get in groups and create a short song by making lyrics and using insturments. Then they can share it with the classroom.

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

E really likes this book, but I think it's got too much negativity going on (ideas I don't want to introduce), so I skip those parts and we talk about the instruments mostly. ilove hearing his little voice say oboe and bassoon. :-)

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book! My 2nd graders LOVED it. It started class discussions about the excellent positive messages of the book (how we should treat others and how everyone can succeed) and music vocabulary. It's funny and has great illustrations.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a meandering tale of a tuba who wants to play a melody instead of just oompah oompah all the time.

Nicely drawn. The illustrations are done by the same guy (Henry Cole) that does the Warthog series (Warthogs Paint, Slop Goes the Soup, Warthogs in the Kitchen).

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The CD included is fantastic - really brings the book to life.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book about a tuba who wants the chance to shine. Uses lots of musical vocabulary. Good descriptive words.

[Eireanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was missing CD but still a nice story, and I liked the illustrations :)

[Sarah K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was really cute. Its very true that the tubanever really gets the melody.

[Sarah A · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun storybook exploring the orchestra and music. The audio version does add to the tale! Beautiful illustrations although I wish they were more realistic!

[Heather Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

megan fall reading 2015, megan summer reading 2016, children's book, picture book, kit, audiobook, classic, orchestra, instruments, tubby, tubas, prek, kindergarten, first grade

[MARTHA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Priceless book for children!