The Piano

Review
By Kirkus Reviews

In this gentle story set in the early 1900s, music brings a young African American girl and an elderly white woman together. Miller lightly touches on segregation and contrasts Tia’s caring attitude toward Miss Hartwell to Johnny’s – “All white people’s money is the same. I don’t care which I get it from” – but the story emphasizes a relationship that transcends age and class. Keeter’s oil paintings enhance the gentle mood. Two-page spreads make space for the pictures to illustrate the text and expand the setting… A lovely book with an understated message.