Hendrik Willem van Loon's comment about the three children’s musical biographies already issued in this series, Mozart, Haydn and Bach, (see back flap of jacket) is an echo of the unanimous praise that has come from music specialists, critics, parents, teachers, librarians and the children themselves.

This latest book, with pictures by the same versatile artist, is about the brilliant young Schubert, his merry friends and their pranks and escapades, in most of which Franz is the hero.

One of the most interesting stories in the book is the new light that is shed on the history of the Unfinished Symphony. It remained unfinished, not because of poverty, illness and discouragement, or because of the composer’s early death. The real reason, according to our authors, was that Schubert’s merry friends were starting for a picnic just when he was in the middle of it, and he went along. Before he left he stuffed the partly written score in his desk and it was never taken out again!

There are more selections from the composer’s magnificent music in this volume than in any of the others. We have the March Militare, the Moment Musicale, the theme of The Erlking, a dance from the opera, Rosamunde, Rondos, Dances, the lovely, lovely waltzes, impromptu pieces, the Cradle Song (a favorite of almost every child) and several of the beautiful songs.

The musical selections have been chosen with the discrimination of teachers who understand children's tastes and technical limitations.

From the dust jacket

Dear Lillian,

Now you are talking . . . that is what I had always hoped for and never yet had found. If you have ever read any of my books you will know that I have mainly preached just one sermon . . . ART SHOULD BE FUN. It should not be something solemn . . . once every third week when you sit down in a dreary concert hall to be edified and bored. Art, music, painting, what have you, should be part of your daily existence like food and reading . . . and it should be fun. But nothing can be fun unless you understand the language in which it is spoken. Those Wheeler and Deucher books will teach the children the vernacular of the art of music. And once they know that vernacular they will enjoy what they hear a thousand times more. And what I like best about those books ( outside of the illustrations which are exactly what they should be) is that they do not stress the importance of becoming great virtuosi. That is up to the Good Lord. But because everybody can not hope to become a Shakespeare or Dickens that is no reason why every child should not learn to read and write. And the same holds true of music. One Bach and one Beethoven every hundred years or so is probably all we can hope for. But that is no reason why every child should not learn to understand the language in which they speak. You are doing a most useful job in publishing just such books, and regarding Art as almost more important to the community at large than food, I am grateful to Dutton's for bringing out those books and to you for bringing them to the attention of yours,

As ever, in old friendship and affection

Hendrik Willem van Loon

From the back flap of the dust jacket