Mayra Calvani and Frederico,The Mouse Violinist

They say the publishing world is a small universe. I've found this to be true. Those who stick around become familiar to each other. Names chime memory bells and when we're all together for a conference, the number of familiar faces grows tenfold. Mayra Calvani is one of those people for me. She is a generous, wonderful person who often reviews books for upcoming authors, seemingly out of the blue. She did this for me, for my novel, My Biker Bodyguard. Her review was one of the first I got when I started out and I've never forgotten this.

When I recently joined Virtual Blog Tour (VBT) Writer's on the Move, I discovered Mayra was a member there, to my delight. Turns out, she's just had a fabulous kid's book published. Well, I was thrilled to return her favor and offered to reveiw the book. Today, I'm dedicating my blog to her and the book, Frederico The Mouse Vilonist. Please enjoy this very special post! ;)


Frederico is a little mouse with a big dream: he wants to become a violinist. Each day he watches as Stradivari makes his famous violins. Each night, he sneaks into the workshop to play. But the violins are too big! Then, unbeknown to Frederico, Stradivari sees him playing and begins carving a tiny device. Could it be a famous Strad especially for Frederico?
Frederico, the Mouse Violinist, teaches the parts of the violin to beginner players and entertains them with a fun, educational story about a little mouse that lives in Antonio Stradivari’s workshop. Activities at the end of the book included.

“A little mouse transports us into Antonio Stradivari’s magical workshop…Frederico conveys to us his love for the violin, while he introduces us to this marvelous instrument. Lovely tribute to a genius, whose exceptional instruments have delighted us for 300 years!”—Dorina Raileanu, violin teacher, author of the Dorina Violin Method

“Frederico’s story is adorable and touching. I’m sure it will entertain many children, teach them a few things about the violin—and who knows, perhaps even give them the desire to learn to play!”—Francine Engels, Suzuki violin teacher

My Review:
Frederico the Mouse Violinist by Mayra Calvani is a delightful story. I expected a fun read, but instead, found an enjoyable and educational story. Calvani hits that magical note where learning becomes exciting. The mouse is adorable as he discovers every part of the violin and when the famous Stradivari creates a gift just for our favorite furry friend, the reader feels the mouse’s joy. This is a book for the keeper shelf. Frederico the Mouse will become every young violinist’s favorite book and become the inspiration for others to play a violin of their own.

About the author:
Mayra Calvani is an award-winning author for children and adults. Her love for the violin has inspired her to pen multiple violin stories for children, among them The Magic Violin and the forthcoming, The Doll Violinist. Visit her website at www.mayrassecretbookcase.com. You may also contact her at mayra.calvani@gmail.com.

Frederico, the Mouse Violinist
By Mayra Calvani
Illustrated by K.C. Snider
Guardian Angel Publishing
Available on Amazon, B&N, Powells, and most online retailers.