My First Story Orchestra: Carnival Of The Animals

Lions, swans, fish darting through water and (wonderfully) dinosaurs, each with their own piece of music played by a real orchestra at the press of a button. Saint-Saëns wrote Carnival of the Animals to make people smile, and it turns out it works just as well at toddler height as it does in a concert hall.

We love it because:

• Six sound buttons, each playing a real orchestral excerpt: the cello swells for the swan, the double basses lumber for the elephant, the strings skitter for the fish. A child who loves animals and a child who loves music will both be completely absorbed
• Jessica Courtney-Tickle's illustrations are joyful and characterful: elephants in top hats, a gliding white swan, a very pleased-looking lion. The pictures and the music together are exactly as good as they sound
• The My First Story Orchestra series consistently does something genuinely difficult: introduces classical music to young children without a single note of condescension, just beautiful books and real recordings
• A brilliant gift alongside the Four Seasons title if you want to give the pair

What's in the box:

• Hardback sound book, 14 pages
• 6 sound buttons, each playing a 10-second orchestral excerpt from Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals
• Full colour illustrations by Jessica Courtney-Tickle throughout
• Published by Aurum Press Quarto

Great for:

• Ages 1 and up, through to early primary children discovering classical music
• A birthday gift, a Christmas present, or the book you reach for when you want something that feels both beautiful and genuinely useful
• Early music appreciation, animal recognition and the particular satisfaction of pressing a button at exactly the right moment

Important to know:

• Hardback, 14 pages
• Dimensions: 16.7 x 16.7cm (6.6 x 6.6 in)
• 6 sound buttons with real orchestral recordings
• ISBN: 9780711292444
• Published February 2025
• Requires batteries (included)