Music for the End of Time by Jen Bryant

Music for the End of time is a picture book biography, a story of hope found through creating beauty in the midst of affliction.

Music for the End of Time written and illustrated by Jen Bryant, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 32 pages.

• Reading Level: Picture books, ages 8-10
• Recommended For: Ages 8-10

Did you know that Olivier Messaien’s “Quartet for the End of Time” was written by a French composer in a concentration camp? In the worst imaginable situation, Messaien found inspiration in birdsong, and favor in the eyes of an officer who gave him a place to compose and even found him an old piano.

With the help of three other musicians who had brought their instruments to camp, the result is a somber, yet hopeful piece based in the nightingale’s song and a promise found in the book of Revelation.

The story is movingly told and the cheerful yellow background in the illustrations defies the gloom of a concentration camp. Read the story, then listen to the music. This book is out of print, but you should look for it at your local library.

Overall Rating: 4 stars

• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4
• Worldview Rating: 4

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Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Book Review: Listen to the Birds! An Introduction to Classical Music
• Book Review: Memories of Survival is a uniquely illustrated, powerful story of a Jewish girl who survived the hardships of World War II in Poland
• Resource: A booklist of Picture Books on Art and Music