Book Review: Because by Mo Willems and Amber Ren

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Title: Because
Author: Mo Willems
Illustrator: Amber Ren
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Publication Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1368019019

PLOT SUMMARY
Because depicts how one piece of music can change the lives of several people. The story starts with Franz Schubert, who is inspired by composer Ludwig van Beethoven to create his own symphony. From there, the story shows how each person involved creates a domino effect of inspiration and aspirations, from the orchestra to the individual musicians, the graphic artist who created a poster advertising the symphony, the train conductor who got everyone there on time, and the lighting technicians and janitors who prepared the hall. Because an uncle was sick, an aunt had an extra ticket to take her niece to the symphony, inspiring her to become a composer.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story provides a look at all the people that make a symphony happen, giving children an idea of how many people it takes to do anything. In the case of the symphony, the composer is not the only person who makes it happen; it takes the orchestra, the individual musicians, the graphic artists who create the advertising for the symphony, the public transit that makes sure the conductor gets to the orchestra rehearsal, the orchestra librarian who has copies of the score for the orchestra rehearsal, the hall staff that clean the hall and check the lighting, the users to open the doors, and more. To create requires the time, passion, and energy of a team, not just one person.

Illustrator Amber Ren's style is detailed and beautiful, creating immersive settings that draw in readers to the story. Several pages are connected by a magical flow of yellow glowing musical notes, culminating in a large burst of color when the orchestra performs. The music notes gradually change to green to represent the young girl's inspiration from Franz's music transforming into the music she creates on her own. After a similar burst of green color when performing her symphony, the music notes gradually transform to blue to signal someone else being inspired, as stated by the closing line "And that night, someone else was changed. That is how it happens."
The story also includes an ethnically and racially diverse range of characters, presenting a believable range of demographics seen in a major metropolitan city like the one depicted in the book. These cultural markers are not explicitly expressed, but provide visual indicators of diversity, such as the women wearing hijabs and the man in the audience wearing a kippah.

AWARDS
None

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Willems’s story celebrates making music while acknowledging those whom celebrations of high culture sometimes ignore... Debut illustrator Ren takes the sprightly energy of The Philharmonic Gets Dressed and adds depth, with distinctive expressions for each diverse face and a wonderful vision of the powerful emotions that music evokes—building on the idea that it takes multiple players to create something wonderful." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

"While many books celebrate the arts and creativity, this one stands out for recognizing the importance of community support; from the orchestra librarian to the music lovers who purchase tickets, everyone contributes to the culture of creativity." - Kirkus Reviews

"An iconic book not only for musicians and music lovers but also for anyone wishing to celebrate those who came before them and those who come after." - School Library Journal

CONNECTIONS
Enrichment activities: At the end of the book, the author and illustrator biographies explain their "because", i.e. why they have the jobs they have. Discuss with children what they want to be when they grew up, and what their inspirations for doing so are.