A potentially wonderful gateway to the world of opera., but not a flawless one. We watch three dogs go to the opera, for The Magic Flute, which – rightly or wrongly – is chosen for being one of the most silly, bonkers and slight plots out there. The book is designed to do many different things, however, and it is in the combination of them all that it might possibly suffer. For not only do we have the dogs talking to each other – the ignorant ones and those who might have been to the opera before – we get the plot of the opera (such as it is...), the boxes where we get explanatory text about what the dogs are seeing and experiencing, and invites to learn more, with the key aspect of this – the keypad that allows us to hear the relevant soundfile.

Now, we all know what books might be with a soundfile in them – annoying to start with, and then it's a book with a drained battery. At least this is so much more well-meaning than the usual farty noises and Christmas jingles. "I'm a reliable reindeer," indeed. And for once you can easily welcome the noises from this – although my digital copy of course was kind of lacking the real thing, and a test of the speakers and whatnot. I just think the pages, as well illustrated and as finely written, seem a little too busy with all that is going on at once. (The book doesn't have reason to explain that horrid opera/musical term where different people sing entirely different words over each other, but this kind of felt like that.) Elsewhere, the end matter is the author telling us to sing more, and about Mozart, but this part seemed to me to be too much an adult-only part of the book, and nowhere was the child guided to sing and enjoy music. The basic (if complex) pages beforehand contrasted too noticeably with the end matter, which never seems the best way of doing things. Still, four stars for a colourful and fun look at opera, and potentially one with life-changing results.

I think this book introduces children to opera, and it does so in a very entertaining way. The illustrations are very good, and the level of detail on the plot of The Magic Flute is ideal. I missed being able to listen to the music, as in the edition I received I couldn't listen to the audio, and that takes away a lot from the experience. I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Welcome to the Opera is a wonderful journey to the opera with three friends. We get to learn all about operas in general, The Magic Flute (by Mozart), and different aspects of an opera. This is a fascinating educational trip full of interesting information and beautiful, fun illustrations. Excellent book for kids interested in music and the arts! ❤️

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced review copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review on the book!

I received an electronic ARC from Workman Publishing Company through NetGalley.
Sloan introduces readers to opera through a performance of The Magic Flute. Her choice to use dogs as characters helps younger readers relate to the information being shared. Two of her dogs explain what is happening to a third. Vocabulary is introduced in text boxes when needed. The intricate details and bright colors are captured by Quarles and add depth to the story. I appreciate the style of using a story to share information and encourage readers to learn more about opera.
The book has an interactive feature so readers can hear the music on certain pages.

As a huge opera fan and musician, I was excited to see a book about it. Mozart is such an excellent choice to introduce opera to anyone and through his final opera "The Magic Flute" we learn of different aspects of operatic form like duets, arias, and recitative and the vocal technique that makes opera so exciting many centuries later. I highly recommend this book to any educator interested in introducing this art form. The buttons on the side made it for an easy way to provide examples.

I loved the illustrations, and the information was mostly accurate. I am a fan of starting with Mozart in education, for children and adults. I still felt it was a bit dry, not very playful or interactive. I would have liked to see the young readers feel like they had a place in opera besides in the audience. Still, bravo for tackling the subject, and the language and the lovely illustrations. I would definitely use this book for a classroom experience.

I am a music lover, so already just the title makes me inclined to like this book. However, I do like how the book is both nonfiction and fiction. The nonfiction elements are very easy to read and separate from the story as they are in their own little boxes. The story is told through a mix of dialogue between the dogs and text in the book. It is very cute, and I really wanted to hear the snippets of music that would be audible if I had the physical book.

Kaum hatte ich das Buch, musste ich es meinen Kindern Vorlesen. Sie waren hell begeistert.

Die Zeichnungen sind sehr schön gemalt, auch in den Farben sehr prächtig und intensiv.
Das ganze Buch ist einfach nur genial für die Kinder.

Toll finde ich auch, dass man über Mozart etwas erfährt.

This is a very cool book! It’s interactive, tells the story of The Magic Flute, and teaches a ton of things about opera. All the vocabulary is explained as the story is told through dialogue. This will be perfect for the music basket in my classroom and I’ll recommend it to our music department.