PEOPLE
NEW YORK — Dan Brown's next book will have a lighter, more musical touch.
The “Da Vinci Code” author is working on a picture story, “Wild Symphony,” scheduled to be published Sept. 1.
Rodale Kids, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, announced the book Thursday and called it an “entertaining” experience in which “the playful Maestro Mouse, trusty baton in hand, brings readers along as he visits a variety of animal friends, from cheetahs and kangaroos to elephants and blue whales.”
“Wild Symphony” will be illustrated by Susan Batori and will be accompanied by a release of children's classical music, written by Brown.
“I love storytelling, and my novels always attempt to weave together varied themes,” Brown said in a statement. “With 'Wild Symphony,' I was excited to build on this idea and create a truly layered experience by using three different languages simultaneously — art, music, and words. In the same way that an opera captivates its audience by presenting beautiful sets, dramatic music, and lyrical drama, 'Wild Symphony' strives to be an immersive feast for eyes, ears, and mind, all at the same time.”
From combined news services
Willie Nelson is scheduled to release his 70th studio album, “First Rose of Spring,” on April 24, just five days ahead of his 87th birthday.It's an 11-track collection that includes two songs he wrote with the album's producer, Buddy Cannon, and others written by peers and admirers including Chris Stapleton, Randy Houser, Billy Joe Shaver and Toby Keith.“First Rose of Spring” also features his renditions of Johnny Paycheck's 1977 country hit “I'm the Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised” and the cabaret-pop classic “Yesterday When I Was Young (Hier Encore),” originally popularized in 1964 by French singer Charles Aznavour before Roy Clark's English-language version became the country-singer guitarist's biggest hit in 1969.The title track is the first release from the album, and the video can be seen now.The songs Nelson wrote with Cannon are titled “Blue Star” and “Love Just Laughed.”The new album also is the 14th from Nelson since he signed with Sony Music's Legacy Recordings division in 2012.The previous two, “Ride Me Back Home” in 2019 and “My Way” a year earlier, both earned Nelson additional Grammy Awards, for country solo performance and traditional pop solo album, respectively.
