【Sound Book】Story Orchestra: In the Hall of the Mountain King

Discover the spellbinding magic of In the Hall of The Mountain King in this musical retelling of Peer Gynt--push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Grieg’s score.

This tale of a boy’s adventure through the valleys and mountains of the Norwegian countryside begins at a wedding feast far, far away. Peer Gynt is bored and he’s longing for adventure. After sneaking off from the party, he finds himself at a peaceful lake where he meets some dairy people. When he lies about his escapades riding reindeer through the sky, they dare him to go to the lair of the Mountain King, the king of the trolls.

The king’s halls are dark and spooky, and it isn’t long before Peer is captured. How will he escape? And will he learn the importance of humility and the value of friends?

As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the score. Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the sounds, 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, Edvard Grieg, with details about his composition of Peer Gynt. 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.

Also available from the Story Orchestra series: The Magic Flute, I Can Play (vol 1), Carnival of the Animals, The Sleeping Beauty, 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 the 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.

Jessica Courtney Tickle​ is an illustrator who graduated from Kingston University in July 2014. Her absolute favorite 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 theater 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.

Hattie Grylls is an author and editor of children’s books. She lives in East London with her partner and an enormous, white cat called Martin. She has an MA in history and archaeology from The University of Edinburgh.