Tori and the Muses is a children's picture book written by American singer-songwriter and pianist Tori Amos and illustrated by Demelsa Haughton. Published by Penguin Workshop on March 4, 2025, it was Amos's first book for children.
The book follows a young girl named Tori, a gifted pianist who is frustrated by her father's insistence that she practice music chosen for an upcoming recital. After her eleven Muses appear and give her a magical floating pink piano, Tori travels through her community to discover what inspires her friends.
The story draws on Amos's childhood experiences as a pianist and her longstanding belief in Muses as sources of creative inspiration. A companion album, The Music of Tori and the Muses, was released digitally on February 28, 2025, shortly before the book's publication.
Background and development
The concept for Tori and the Muses developed from Amos's longstanding relationship with what she calls her Muses, which she has described as sources of creative inspiration that have accompanied her since childhood. Amos frequently acknowledged her Muses and fairies in the liner notes to her albums, but said that she assumed few people read those acknowledgments until Francesco Sedita, then head of Penguin Workshop, read them and contacted her about writing a children's book based on her relationship with them.
Amos developed the story around the idea that everyone can have a Muse, but that inspiration appears differently to each person. The Muses in the story therefore represent a range of interests rather than music alone, reflecting Amos's belief that creative inspiration can emerge from many aspects of everyday life.
The story incorporates elements of Amos's childhood. She attended the Peabody Institute from the age of five and was trained as a classical pianist. Her father, a Methodist minister, expected her to practice assigned classical repertoire, while Amos wanted to play popular music, including songs by The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. She recalled secretly playing the latter while making her father believe that she was practicing her assigned music. These experiences informed the fictional Tori's conflict with her father, although Amos described the book as a fictional story rather than a direct account of her childhood.
Amos also wanted the project to address the importance of imagination during childhood. She connected the story's message to the increasing presence of social media and other forms of digital distraction, and said that children should have opportunities to discover what inspires them without fear of judgment.
As the project developed, Amos created a nine-track companion album, The Music of Tori and the Muses, to accompany the story.
Plot
The story centers on a young girl named Tori, a pianist preparing for a recital. Her father wants her to practice the pieces he has assigned, but Tori would rather play the music that comes to her through her Muses. Her father does not believe that the Muses exist and tells her that they are imaginary and distracting her from her responsibilities.
After her father leaves, Tori's eleven Muses appear. They give her a magical floating pink piano and send her on a journey to discover what inspires the people around her and what their own Muses might be.
Tori visits her friends and discovers that their sources of inspiration differ from her own. Blake is inspired by insects, while Anna finds inspiration in baking and its ingredients.
Tori eventually returns home to her father. After learning about her experiences, he recognizes that he has a Muse of his own: numbers and mathematics. This allows him to better understand Tori's relationship with music and the different ways people can experience inspiration.
Themes
The book's central theme is the idea that inspiration is individual rather than universal. By giving the characters different Muses, Amos presents creativity as something that can emerge from many interests and experiences rather than being limited to traditionally artistic pursuits.
The story also explores the tension between external expectations and individual creative expression. Tori's disagreement with her father represents the difficulty of pursuing a personal interest when it conflicts with expectations imposed by others. The resolution emphasizes understanding rather than presenting the conflict as a simple rejection of parental authority.
Imagination is another major theme. Amos has said that she believes people do not lose their capacity for imagination simply because they become adults, and that the Muses remain available to everyone even if they are difficult to recognize. The book encourages children to maintain that imaginative capacity while developing their own interests.
Amos has also emphasized the importance of sharing the story between children and adults. She described reading the book together as an opportunity for adults to reconnect with their own inner child while discussing creativity and inspiration with younger readers.
Illustrations
The illustrations were created by British illustrator Demelsa Haughton. Her artwork establishes the book's fantastical visual setting and depicts Tori, her family, the Muses and her friends within an imaginative seaside environment.
The Muses are visually distinguished through their appearances, including their hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. The magical floating pink piano is a recurring visual element as Tori travels through the story.
Kirkus Reviews described Haughton's illustrations as "fantastical" and at times surreal, noting the depiction of doll-like characters moving through an oceanside town. The review also highlighted the visual distinction between the individual Muses.
Publication and promotion
Tori and the Muses was published in the United States by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, on March 4, 2025. The hardcover edition contains 40 pages and has the ISBN 978-0-593-75034-6. Penguin Random House lists the book for readers aged four to eight and grades preschool through third grade. The book was also issued as an ebook and audiobook on the same date.
Amos promoted the book through interviews and television appearances including Good Morning America and Morning Joe, as well as a five-date book tour in March 2025.
Companion album
The Music of Tori and the Muses is a nine-track digital album created as a musical companion to the book. Amos wrote and produced the album, with the songs corresponding to characters, events and Muses from the story.
Amos explained that some of the songs focus on characters while others concern the Muses themselves. "Insect Ballet", for example, accompanies Blake's fascination with insects.
The album was released on February 28, 2025, four days before the book's publication, and was made available for streaming and digital purchase.
Reception
Critical reception
Tori and the Muses received generally favorable reviews, with critics highlighting its imaginative premise and its message about creativity.
Kirkus Reviews described the book as a "meandering but heartfelt tale of imagination". The review praised its message about following one's passion and found its overall message uplifting, while also highlighting Haughton's illustrations.
The New York Times reviewed the book as part of its children's book coverage, discussing Amos's transformation of her longstanding relationship with her Muses into a story for young readers.
People highlighted the book's encouragement for children to discover their own sources of creative inspiration. Amos said that she had received correspondence from people who did not know how to identify their own Muses and hoped that the book would give younger readers a way to explore the idea.
The San Francisco Chronicle characterized the book as a story about inspiration and magic and noted its connection to Amos's childhood experiences as a young musician.
Connection to Amos's career
The concept of the Muses in Tori and the Muses is connected to a recurring element of Amos's musical career. She has frequently acknowledged Muses and fairies in the liner notes to her albums and has described them as sources of inspiration for her songwriting and creative work.
The book's emphasis on following an individual creative voice also echoes themes Amos has discussed throughout her career. She has described the period surrounding her 1988 album Y Kant Tori Read as a time when she moved away from the artistic instincts that later guided her work, before returning to the piano and developing the approach that led to Little Earthquakes.
By adapting the idea of the Muses for children, Amos transformed a concept that had previously appeared primarily in the context of her music into a fictional narrative about creativity and self-discovery.
See also
The Music of Tori and the Muses Tori Amos discography Tori Amos bibliography
References