Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Music is so important to our lives. The beat can help with movement. Music can affect mood and so much more. Today we are sharing a diverse picture book about a group of kids who know the importance of music for their special community festival and find a way to bring music to their festival's new location. The book is Sounds of Trash by Tina Athaide and illustrated by Neha Rawat. It is recommended for ages 4 to 7 and is part of the Steamworks Books Collection.

About the Book:

Join Pran and his friends in an exploration of sound and the engineering design process, because STEAM is everywhere and for everyone!

Part of STEAMWORKS, a series of fiction picture books for ages 4-7 that relate science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) to kids’ everyday lives.

When Pran and his friends learn that the neighborhood block party is moved to the park where it won’t have music, they are determined to find a way for it to be part of the celebration. After some trial and error, and more than a few prototypes made from recyclables, they are ready to engineer their way to a jazzy, bhangra-filled day!

Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about sound and the engineering design process and fun STEAM activities.

STEAMWORKS features children of all backgrounds and abilities using scientific and mathematical thinking to solve everyday problems and answer questions that matter to them. Playful stories and extension activities ignite excitement for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) and empower children as thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators.

STEAMWORKS picture books are also available in Spanish. The Spanish title is Sonidos de basura.

From Me:

The neighborhood block party has been moved to the local park. Pran and his friends are worried there won't be music since they love the music at the block party each year. They decide to engineer some musical instruments so the neighborhood can still have a beat at the big celebration. They use all sorts of their science knowledge to build different instruments and then they pass them out to all the neighbors and the block party is a big success even at a different location.

I love that this book brings engineering into it. The kids are concerned that there won't be music they usually enjoy. It is full of culture and STEM. Pran is Indian and there are many words from his culture in the book. At the end of the book there is a list of them and their definitions as well as scientific words. Then there are things to think about sound, engineering and design. Finally, there is a page to get readers to make their own instruments and play and explore sound and music together. This book is perfect for bringing music into the classroom and connecting it to science and more. It brings in diverse cultures as well as kids having fun. It is also a great book for at home science and keeping kids learning during the summer or breaks!

DIY Musical Instruments Roundup:

This book has the reader wanting to make their own instruments. Depending on the age of the reader there are different things to do. The easiest is to bang on pots and pans! However, there are some fun instruments that you can make from things in your "trash" or at least your recycle bin. You can also download some of the activities on the publishing company's website to go with this book! We did a musical instrument craft roundup a few years ago. Be sure to check it out. Another great resource is Daria World Music's Page. In addition, here are a few other ones to try.