Music over Manhattan

by Mark Karlins

Parents and children alike will love this irresistible story about finding one's own special talent.

Bernie has lived his entire life in the shadow of his cousin Herbert.  But after Bernie's eccentric Uncle Louis teaches him to play the trumpet, he no longer has to play second fiddle to his cousin.  All of a sudden, "Background Bernie" is a big hit!  And when he plays his favorite song, "Moonlight Over Manhattan," at a family wedding, Bernie's magic can't be ignored.

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 1998

About the author

Mark Karlins is the author of six picture books, two books of poetry for adults, and a number of reviews and essays. he also teaches the writing and appreciation of poetry to children and adults. Mark and his wife live in the mountains near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they savor the sounds of mourning doves, ravens, and coyotes.

Reviews

[Asho]

S picked this book out at the library on a whim, likely because the cover is appealing. We all ended up finding it more strange than enjoyable, though. S didn't like the illustrations at all. They are a bit...grotesque, I guess? The people all have highly exaggerated, charicature-like expressions. S (age 7) deemed them "scary". We liked the description of learning to play music, and S, who is learning to play piano, seemed to relate to that part of the story. But then the fantastical flying element of it didn't really work for us, either. I understood it to be metaphorical, but it was still pretty strange.
S only requested it once and then didn't want to read it again.

[Lumnis Des]

Bernie hates his nasty cousin Herbert, and he hates how he steals everyone's attention.

But everything changes when his uncle gives him a trumpet and teaches him how to play. Bernie finds his true talent as a trumpet player, and his music is so inspiring it makes everyone forget their worries. Herbert and his antics are forgotten, and Bernie finally wins the spotlight.

The illustrations of this book by Jack E. Davis are brilliant and effectively bring this story to life.

"Music Over Manhattan" is a sweet parable of the power of music and art to make our lives better.

A fun book to look at, and to read and re-read.

[Kelly Boggs]

Richly colored, caricature-like illustrations with lots of facial expressions. The boy in this book doesn't feel special compared to his doted on cousin until an uncle teaches him how to play the horn and after much practice he is making everyone float with his talent.
Themes of bravery, gifts, community

[Miss Sarah]

A young boy who has a tough time fitting in bonds with his unclue over music and takes tot he trumpet. He soons spends all his time playing the instrument. Will he gain confidence and be able to play a real wedding? Elementary and up

[Diane]

Perfect cousin Herbert always gets all the attention until Uncle Louie starts teaching Bernie how to play the trumpet. The music helps the musician to fly and Bernie practices hard, so he too can play what well.

Comical illustrations.

[Eli Self]

I really like this book it shows readers that everyone is good at some you just have to find them work really hard at it. It teaches practice practice practice! It also has a fun whimsical element to the book as well

[Kristen]

This book was interesting. It was a decent story about music really "moving" you - to make everyone float in the air. My daughter loved it because her name is Brooklyn, and the city was mentioned a couple times in the story.

The illustrations were a bit strange. The people looked a bit abstract. But otherwise I enjoyed the illustrations that match the pages of the story. The bananas and oranges were really random - though my daughter enjoyed it. lol.

Overall a decent read. Glad I read it, but not sure we'll read it again.

[Kathryn]

This is more 4.5 stars, and I might even change it to 5 if it sticks with me after a few days and I start regretting rounding down rather than up. It's the little details of this book that make it special. Lines like "the laundry was dancing in time" and that Bernie practiced "even in the bathtub" reminds me of what music was like as a kid. I also like the very real family relations intermixed with the fantastical imagery of music flying.

[Beth]

It seems like his cousin Herbert is totally perfect and does everything better than Bernie. Uncle Louie helps Bernie with trumpet lessons and he gains a lot of skill. Herbert becomes jealous at this, but enjoys the music of "Moonlight Over Manhattan."

[Reader]

I loved the portion of the book where Bernie is learning to play the trumpet; it felt accurate. I didn't like the artwork or the trying to show up his know it all cousin aspect. Conrad sat through it tonight because he was already half asleep.

[Tricia]

The boys have all really liked this book. The floating part is a bit much to me - although I guess the point is that music transports you...

[Kirsti Call]

This whimsical story is a lot of fun.

[Catherine Woodman]

Ethan got this from our most famous relatives--Nancy Spiro and Leon Golub

[Nancy]

Great book about finding your own gifts, family, and the transcendence of music.