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    Piece by Piece

    How Stephen Sondheim Made Musical Puzzles Come Alive

    Author Erin Frankel
    Illustrated by Stacy Innerst
    Hardcover
    $19.99 US
    Astra Publishing House | Calkins Creek
    8.94"W x 10.81"H x 0.41"D  
    On sale Apr 21, 2026 | 48 Pages | 9781662680953
    Grades 2-5
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    Stephen Sondheim learns to assemble musicals like the pieces of a puzzle on his way to becoming an American theater icon.

    An inspiring nonfiction picture book on the creative process that will spark an interest in music for kids ages 7–10.

    Before he became a greatest lyricist and composer, Stephen Sondheim was a boy filled with curiosity—a boy who loved figuring out how things worked. After his parents’ divorce scattered the pieces of his life, he found comfort in music.

    Guided by his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen learned that the best way to get better was to practice: choosing notes, choosing words, and putting it all together, piece by piece. Writing musicals wasn’t easy, and not everyone loved Stephen’s new and unusual shows. But Stephen loved figuring it out, and loved the way the people in every show became like a family.

    Author Erin Frankel’s prose and illustrator Stacy Innerst’s art combine in beautiful harmony. Together, they bring to life Stephen Sondheim as he solves musical puzzles, writing hit shows like West Side Story, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and many more!
    Erin Frankel is a children’s book author who loves telling stories of empathy and wonder. Her picture books include Mary Oliver, Holding on to Wonder, A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen, the Weird! series, Remembering Barkley and the forthcoming Piece by Piece: How Stephen Sondheim Made Musical Puzzles Come Alive. She enjoys visiting schools to talk to students about stories and kindness. She lives with her family in Pittsburgh, where she writes, teaches, and hopes. View titles by Erin Frankel
    © Michael Santiago
    Painter and educator Stacy Innerst is the illustrator of The Book Rescuer, winner of the Sydney Taylor Award; Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of RBG vs. Inequality, which received the New York Times/NYPL Best Illustrated Children's Books Award; and The Music in George’s Head, which received the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration. His most recent Calkins Creek books include The Painter and the President, Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, What Louis Brandeis Knows, Piece by Piece, and My Word, Theodore!. He lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Visit stacyinnerst.com View titles by Stacy Innerst
    ★ "Innerst’s moody acrylic, colored pencil, and ink illustrations create dynamic, expressionistic scenes that dance across the page like musical notes. Expository spreads show Sondheim making music or working in the theater, but it’s the conceptual illustrations that will intrigue creative readers: Sondheim riding a roller coaster with relevant terms ('melodious score,' 'lyrics that soar!') placed along the rails or surrounded by oversize puzzle pieces posing questions such as 'What is the sound for loneliness?' and 'Should the first and last notes rise?' Indeed, puzzles prove an inspired central metaphor for the creative process as Sondheim perfects his work. Frankel’s lilting rhyme gives the verse a pleasing cadence for reading aloud without following a consistent rhyming scheme, mirroring the ebb and flow of Sondheim’s own process. A brilliant glimpse at a musical genius, imbued with a profound truth: Creativity is truly about the journey."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

    ★ "An emphasis on the considerations involved in composing—some written on the puzzle pieces that appear frequently in the illustrations (“How does the character feel?” “Do the words bounce with the music?”)—help make the subject accessible to readers who may not yet be familiar with Sondheim’s work. Fanciful art in acrylic, colored pencil, and ink in Innerst’s (illustrator recently of Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, rev. 5/25) recognizable style incorporates musical notes, images of the composer at work, and references to his musicals; see especially a spread whose puzzle pieces evoke Georges Seurat and thus Sunday in the Park with George. A focused introduction to Sondheim for budding young creatives."—The Horn Book, starred review

    ★ "Frankel’s starry-eyed portrait of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021) places curiosity at the heart of the musical theater virtuoso’s success. Staccato introductory lines establish Sondheim as an expert puzzle solver (“Choosing notes/ Choosing words/ Putting it all together”), and inquisitive text proceeds to spotlight the protagonist’s effort, passion, and empathy... Emphasizing process over life-writing, this incisive biography focuses firmly on Sondheim’s gift for assembling the pieces."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

    "    The life of celebrated theatrical composer Stephen Sondheim is told through the lens of the creative process in this new picture-book biography... Using slightly uneven brushstrokes, unexpected panel shapes, and a muted color palette, Innerst captures a dynamic yet memoristic sense of the musical genius... A much-needed addition to fill the theater-shaped hole in a library's biography collection."—Booklist
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    About

    Stephen Sondheim learns to assemble musicals like the pieces of a puzzle on his way to becoming an American theater icon.

    An inspiring nonfiction picture book on the creative process that will spark an interest in music for kids ages 7–10.

    Before he became a greatest lyricist and composer, Stephen Sondheim was a boy filled with curiosity—a boy who loved figuring out how things worked. After his parents’ divorce scattered the pieces of his life, he found comfort in music.

    Guided by his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen learned that the best way to get better was to practice: choosing notes, choosing words, and putting it all together, piece by piece. Writing musicals wasn’t easy, and not everyone loved Stephen’s new and unusual shows. But Stephen loved figuring it out, and loved the way the people in every show became like a family.

    Author Erin Frankel’s prose and illustrator Stacy Innerst’s art combine in beautiful harmony. Together, they bring to life Stephen Sondheim as he solves musical puzzles, writing hit shows like West Side Story, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and many more!

    Author

    Erin Frankel is a children’s book author who loves telling stories of empathy and wonder. Her picture books include Mary Oliver, Holding on to Wonder, A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen, the Weird! series, Remembering Barkley and the forthcoming Piece by Piece: How Stephen Sondheim Made Musical Puzzles Come Alive. She enjoys visiting schools to talk to students about stories and kindness. She lives with her family in Pittsburgh, where she writes, teaches, and hopes. View titles by Erin Frankel
    © Michael Santiago
    Painter and educator Stacy Innerst is the illustrator of The Book Rescuer, winner of the Sydney Taylor Award; Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of RBG vs. Inequality, which received the New York Times/NYPL Best Illustrated Children's Books Award; and The Music in George’s Head, which received the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration. His most recent Calkins Creek books include The Painter and the President, Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, What Louis Brandeis Knows, Piece by Piece, and My Word, Theodore!. He lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Visit stacyinnerst.com View titles by Stacy Innerst

    Praise

    ★ "Innerst’s moody acrylic, colored pencil, and ink illustrations create dynamic, expressionistic scenes that dance across the page like musical notes. Expository spreads show Sondheim making music or working in the theater, but it’s the conceptual illustrations that will intrigue creative readers: Sondheim riding a roller coaster with relevant terms ('melodious score,' 'lyrics that soar!') placed along the rails or surrounded by oversize puzzle pieces posing questions such as 'What is the sound for loneliness?' and 'Should the first and last notes rise?' Indeed, puzzles prove an inspired central metaphor for the creative process as Sondheim perfects his work. Frankel’s lilting rhyme gives the verse a pleasing cadence for reading aloud without following a consistent rhyming scheme, mirroring the ebb and flow of Sondheim’s own process. A brilliant glimpse at a musical genius, imbued with a profound truth: Creativity is truly about the journey."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

    ★ "An emphasis on the considerations involved in composing—some written on the puzzle pieces that appear frequently in the illustrations (“How does the character feel?” “Do the words bounce with the music?”)—help make the subject accessible to readers who may not yet be familiar with Sondheim’s work. Fanciful art in acrylic, colored pencil, and ink in Innerst’s (illustrator recently of Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, rev. 5/25) recognizable style incorporates musical notes, images of the composer at work, and references to his musicals; see especially a spread whose puzzle pieces evoke Georges Seurat and thus Sunday in the Park with George. A focused introduction to Sondheim for budding young creatives."—The Horn Book, starred review

    ★ "Frankel’s starry-eyed portrait of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021) places curiosity at the heart of the musical theater virtuoso’s success. Staccato introductory lines establish Sondheim as an expert puzzle solver (“Choosing notes/ Choosing words/ Putting it all together”), and inquisitive text proceeds to spotlight the protagonist’s effort, passion, and empathy... Emphasizing process over life-writing, this incisive biography focuses firmly on Sondheim’s gift for assembling the pieces."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

    "    The life of celebrated theatrical composer Stephen Sondheim is told through the lens of the creative process in this new picture-book biography... Using slightly uneven brushstrokes, unexpected panel shapes, and a muted color palette, Innerst captures a dynamic yet memoristic sense of the musical genius... A much-needed addition to fill the theater-shaped hole in a library's biography collection."—Booklist

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