Like most dogs, Jake loves playing fetch. Unlike most dogs, Jake loves music even more. He loves to wag his tail to the beat of an ordinary day and “sing” with the birds. When his friend Richie, the principal stagehand at the Philharmonic, brings Jake to work one day, Jake is treated to a lesson in real music.  He “woofs!” to the tweeting woodwinds and “ruffs!” to the deep horns, but when he hears the entire symphony orchestra practice, he knows to be quiet and listen. And when a crisis develops at that night's performance, Jake steps onstage and steals the show.  Inspired by the real-life mascot of the New York Philharmonic, Jake the Philharmonic Dog is a pitch-perfect introduction to the different sounds and instruments of the orchestra.

"Like other stories of its ilk (Tess Weaver's Opera Cat; James the Dancing Dog by Linda Maybarduk), this tale features an animal with a preternatural appreciation for a lively art who is fortuitously awarded a place in the spotlight. For Jake, a wide-eyed, black-and-white pooch, this means being anointed 'principal stagepaw.' LeFrak, a member of the New York Philharmonic board of directors, will donate her share of the book's proceeds to benefit the orchestra. Unfortunately, the book is more well-intentioned than well-executed. The author makes good use of Jake as a reader surrogate when he trots through the various orchestra sections. 'Jake!' says the dog's owner (the human principal stagehand, whose job it is to bring the conductor his baton at the start of each performance), 'That's not a car horn. That's a French horn! See? The brass instruments are warming up now!' But the narrative feels flabby: incidents seem strung together, with little dramatic tension. Barnaski, a Polish artist making his children's book debut, works in rich acrylics and temperas, and saturates every page in dense, alluring color. His renderings of Jake evince a sweet cartoon sensibility, and while he's less adept at painting individual humans (they look a bit stiff), his group portraits of musicians effectively convey their concentration, dedication and lan. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Karen LeFrak is a philanthropic New Yorker involved in many charitable endeavors in the city and state, including being an active member of the New York Philharmonic Board of Directors.  She is an avid dog-lover, breeding and showing champion poodles.  Karen and two of her retired champion poodles visit pediatric units in hospitals to provide animal-assisted therapy. She is married to Richard LeFrak, President of the LeFrak Organization, and they have two sons, Harrison and James.  Together they divide their time between Manhattan and Southampton, with their flock of poodles.  Karen will be donating her proceeds from this book to the New York Philharmonic.  

 

Marcin Baranski doesn’t own a dog yet, but after completing this book, he thinks that one might be the perfect addition to his new garden. Over the past six years, he has a become well-known illustrator for Cosmopolitan magazine.  Marcin is an illustrator and a painter, and he lives in Krakow, Poland, with his wife and son.  This is Marcin’s first children’s book.