Lulu's Piano Lesson

Who wants to practice the piano? Certainly not Lulu. She'd rather listen to her swing squeak, the bell on her bike ring, or the apples thump as she climbs a tree. Even her shoes play a tip-tap tune as she runs on the sidewalk.

Before she knows it, it's Friday afternoon and time for her piano lesson. Lulu's heart sinks. She hasn't practiced all week. Luckily, Lulu's teacher knows how to inspire his small student. A musician herself, Arlene Alda played the clarinet in the Houston Symphony. She understands how one little girl's imagination and a wise teacher can help us all discover the music around us and the fun of expressing that music on the piano. Perfectly complemented by Lisa Desimini's delightful cut-paper collage and digital illustrations, Lulu's Piano Lesson is truly a memorable one.

ARLENE ALDA is an award-winning photographer and writer whose work has appeared in numerous galleries as well as in Life, Vogue, and People magazines. She is the author of fourteen children's books, including Iris Has a Virus, illustrated by Lisa Desimini. Her photographs are featured in 97 Orchard Street, New York, written by Linda Granfield. She both wrote and provided the photographs for Hello, Good-bye; Here a Face, There a Face; Did You Say Pears?; and The Book of ZZZs. A native New Yorker, Arlene Alda lives on Long Island with her husband, actor Alan Alda.

LISA DESIMINI, a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, has written and illustrated many award-winning books for children, including My House, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year; I Am Running Away, a Bologna Book Fair Honor Book; Love Letters, a Publishers Weekly Best Picture Book of the Year and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; and the critically acclaimed Iris Has a Virus, written by Arlene Alda. Lisa Desimini and her husband divide their time between New York City and Northport.