Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Ava needs to pick an instrument in order to join in her family's holiday concert, a priority for her family but not for her.Her mother plays piano, her father the violin, and her two brothers the cello and clarinet. Dismayed by her parents' suggestions of instruments she might like (piano, flute, violin), Ava chooses the tuba, certain that no one will want her to perform. Lessons with Rodney, the friendly high school marching band tuba player, get her hooked on the shiny brass instrument. She almost gives up when the loud sounds coming from her difficult-to-play tuba yield negative reactions from her brother, classmates—even the neighbor's dog. But Rodney encourages her to stick with it, and she happily plays in a special tuba-only holiday concert. Ava, light-skinned and freckled, belongs to an interracial family. Her red hair matches her white mother's. Her brothers' skin tones are closer to their brown-skinned, ponytailed father's. The wonderfully diverse cast of characters, from Rodney, an African-American with locs, to Ava's schoolmates and the musicians who make up the tuba band, demonstrates the book's embrace of ensemble participation. Watercolors cheerily splash across the nicely designed pages. A variety of typefaces and perspectives lends a lively, rhythmic feel to the book. A description of real-life "tuba Christmas" concerts follows the story.A delightful take on nonconformity within a lovingly supportive, musical family. (Picture book. 4-8)

ALA Booklist (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Even though perhaps because eryone else in her family plays strings or reeds, for better or worse, Ava takes up tuba. At first it's definitely "worse," as her sibs give her a hard time, her parents suggest something more portable, like flute, and her initial bbbwwWWWAHHHHHs and bOOOoooooooffffffffs make the neighbor's dog howl. Just as she's about to quit, her teacher Rodney's invitation to perform in an upcoming holiday concert renews her determination, and she joins an all-tuba band for music ow and round and rich" at converts her family and the rest of the skeptical audience into cheering fans. Uhles stocks her watercolor illustrations with a diverse cast (Ava's parents are an interracial couple, Rodney a young African American man in dreadlocks) and leads up to a terrific climactic view of the band members and their instruments alike decked fetchingly in Christmas decorations. Wilbur concludes this sweet blast of holiday cheer with shout-outs to the instrument and also to the tradition of actual holiday tuba concerts that began with one at Rockefeller Center in 1974.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Soft, cozy watercolors provide a realistic backdrop for this sweet secular Christmas story about finding your voice. Ava's family doesn't think she'll stick with the tuba, but she's motivated to continue as she practices for a surprise Christmas concert. The text, suitable for reading aloud, balances dialogue and narration. An author's note discusses "Tuba Christmas" traditions and interesting facts about the lesser-appreciated instrument.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Ava needs to pick an instrument in order to join in her family's holiday concert, a priority for her family but not for her.Her mother plays piano, her father the violin, and her two brothers the cello and clarinet. Dismayed by her parents' suggestions of instruments she might like (piano, flute, violin), Ava chooses the tuba, certain that no one will want her to perform. Lessons with Rodney, the friendly high school marching band tuba player, get her hooked on the shiny brass instrument. She almost gives up when the loud sounds coming from her difficult-to-play tuba yield negative reactions from her brother, classmates—even the neighbor's dog. But Rodney encourages her to stick with it, and she happily plays in a special tuba-only holiday concert. Ava, light-skinned and freckled, belongs to an interracial family. Her red hair matches her white mother's. Her brothers' skin tones are closer to their brown-skinned, ponytailed father's. The wonderfully diverse cast of characters, from Rodney, an African-American with locs, to Ava's schoolmates and the musicians who make up the tuba band, demonstrates the book's embrace of ensemble participation. Watercolors cheerily splash across the nicely designed pages. A variety of typefaces and perspectives lends a lively, rhythmic feel to the book. A description of real-life "tuba Christmas" concerts follows the story.A delightful take on nonconformity within a lovingly supportive, musical family. (Picture book. 4-8)