The Story Orchestra: The Sleeping Beauty

Discover the enchanting world of The Sleeping Beauty in this musical retelling of the ballet – push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Tchaikovsky's score.

Guardian: ‘a lively retelling, enriched by Jessica Courtney Tickle’s luscious illustrations – each spread is like an illuminated garden’

Join the King and Queen as they throw a party for their new baby, Princess Aurora. But when a terrible guest arrives and places a curse on princess, the kingdom must find the one special person who can defeat it… As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes illustrated by artist Jessica Courtney Tickle, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the ballet’s music.

Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the sound board at the back of the book, encouraging interactive learning and introducing children to this beautiful piece of music.

At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with details about his composition of Swan Lake. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms.

The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet, opera and program music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores. With The Story Orchestra keyboard sound books, children can play the famous melodies themselves with the sound of a real grand piano.
 
Also available from the Story Orchestra series: The Magic Flute, I Can Play (vol 1), Carnival of the Animals, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Four Seasons in One Day.

Manufacturer’s note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require a firm push in exact location to work, which may be hard for young children. All sound clips are 10 seconds long.

The perfect primer to introduce children to classical music.

Review

‘a lively retelling, enriched by Jessica Courtney Tickle’s luscious illustrations – each spread is like an illuminated garden.’  ― The Guardian

'a gorgeously illustrated picture book with excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty on every page.' ― Good Housekeeping

’what a beautifully illustrated retelling!... a magical book.' ― Irish Examiner

'truly superb books... These books are the most wonderful to introduce these classic stories and the accompanying orchestral music to children' ― Let Them Be Small

'An outstanding combination of visuals and audio which will enthuse children for this beautiful ballet.' ― Parents in Touch

About the Author

Jessica Courtney Tickle​ is an illustrator who graduated from Kingston University in July 2014. Her absolute favourite thing to draw or paint is nature, finding a focus on foliage of any kind as well as children's stories about adventure and exploration. She also has a penchant for drawing theatre, from music makers to dancers and even singing animals. Jessica is most influenced by vintage picture books, travel posters and folk art as well as numerous painters and printmakers.

Katy Flint is an author, editor and musician, based in London. She studied violin at the University of Southampton, before moving into children's books. She is the author of the much-loved Story Orchestra series and has worked on many other non-fiction titles – from human bodies to dinosaurs. She connects with people all around the globe on her Intro to Children's Publishing course. Find her on Instagram: @katy_flint