The Story Orchestra Carnival of the Animals

Discover the magical world of Carnival of the Animals in this musical
reimagining of this celebrated suite for children – push the button in
each breathtaking scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing
from Camille Saint-Saens’ score.

One day, two brothers discover a magical animal kingdom behind their
bookcase. They are greeted by the royal lion with his shaggy mane; ask
for directions from an old lonely tortoise; take a ride on some
lumbering elephants; topple a skeleton of dinosaur bones; and swim among
a school of shimmering fish. If only they could take them all home…

The book includes extracts from ‘The Swan’, ‘Aquarium’, ‘Fossils’, and
‘Finale’ (From Disney’s Fantasia) along with a totally new story to link
the pieces together.

As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will
press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the suite’s music. At the
back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Camille
Saint-Saens, with details about his composition of Carnival of the
Animals. 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 and program
music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing
from their musical scores.