Reviews (1)

A Stellar Kid's Tape!
This is not your average kid's tape! Nancy Cassidy's wonderful alto voice invites even the musically challenged to sing along. As with all her tapes, there is a terrific mix of traditional and new music, use of many instruments, and varied musical styles. Even our one year-old dances when we put this on! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not fantastic - but it entertained my kids!
Contrary to other opinions, my girls loved this tape!The songs are difficult to interpret -- at first -- but with careful listening (and French ears hear some slips into English) & reinforcement by an adult, children CAN learn French words & phrases with this music.The "Days of the Week" song is one of our favorites.As with any language, perseverance pays off --...

Dreadful
I borrowed this from the library before buying, and am I ever glad I didn't shell out the money for this program. The music is tinny and the singing tuneless. The words are more often shouted than sung. The children's pronunciation is awful, even to my non-native ear. Finally, the constant back-and-forth between French and English only confuses; immersion in the target language is the better choice, particularly for children. ...

My 3-year-old daughter did not like it.
I purchased this audio book to have fun with my daughter, listening to the songs in another language.First, the pronunciation is not clear.I believe that a language audio tape must have extra crystal clear pronunciation.The voice of the boy who sings in this tape is not as clean as the ones from any of the Barney tapes.I would not know it is because of the recording, but when the songs are in chorus, the pronunciation gets worse.I have zero idea about French, but I do not think it is entirely my fault that I cannot sing any part along when I try to pronounce any words.A girl or a woman who can sing like a little girl would have been a better choice.Second, the songs are neither popular nor easy ones.I do not know whether they are popular in France, or just I never heard of the songs.In any case, my daughter instantly lost interest even though I made her listen to the tape twice.(It was her first non-English tape.)Third, the way of how the songs are sung is not as fun.The songs are sung in English and French alternatively, and I think it reduces the fun.My daughter loves the songs like the Barney songs and Miss Mary Mac that are organized in a way that keeps children interested.In this tape, mostly one boy or the chorus of boys sings in a similar way throughout.It may be suitable for who already know French. ... Read more

Book Description

Winterhope.

It didn't sound like much, but it was a big idea. A very big idea.

It all started when Hart Evans zinged a rubber band that hit Mr. Meinert, the chorus director. Actually, it started before that, when Mr. Meinert learned he was out of a job because the town budget couldn't afford music and art teachers. Mr. Meinert got so mad at Hart that he told the sixth graders he'd had it -- they could produce the big holiday concert on their own. Or not. It was all up to them.

What happens when a teacher steps aside and lets the kids run the show? Not what Mr. Meinert would have predicted. And not what Hart Evans would have guessed, not at all.

Out of chaos, infighting, compromise, idealism, and finally, a fragile peace, the sixth grade choral concert was born. And they called it Winterhope.

But would it be the last holiday concert of them all? ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wee Sing is Pretty Darn Good for Kiddie Music...
Children's Songs and Fingerplays is my 2 1/2 year old son's favorite, and one I enjoy a lot, too. It is a collection of the classics I had forgotten (in my young mother sleep-deprived state). The songs are in the original version I remember (not Barney-ized!) The collection encourages dance and fingerplays so it is good rainy-day fun. Although the music is not acoustic, the synthesizer is not so obvious and the music is pretty good--not at all grating on the nerves of exhausted parents. The children's voices are what grab the attention--they are really good. My son inadvertantly ruined his cassette so we are trying to replace it with the CD...Amazon, hurry up and replenish your stock!

Brain Food for Toddlers, Respite for Parents
Our 2 year old daughter requested this tape so often that we wore it out! She is quite the vocalist now, breaking out into the Alphabet Song, This Old Man, Mary had a Little Lamb, and other fun songs at the most amusing times. She knows every song by heart and delights in doing the finger plays. This tape has been a lifesaver on long trips and short. The first thing she says when we get in the car is "Mommy. Please play Julie's music?" We had tried many other children's tapes, but this one is hands down the best.

Well, we sing
Our youngest daughter of 6 years old loves to sing this tape with the book in front of her nearly every day and her older brother (7) and sister (9) are singeing with her in all glorie. They are learning so much from it. Some titles of the á 60 songs are; Clap your hands (fingerplay), Hickory Dickory Dock, This old man, Old macdonald had a farm, ten little fingers and the Alphabeth song. I listened to some other children songs, but this is far the best. We've got also bible songs, mmm not so good as this one. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Musical Fun
Children just seem to love music. They love to be silly. This book and cassette combines both! You and your child will learn, laugh, and love together. Who could ask for more? Try one of these...I bet you'll get the others! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A masterful recording
I first heard of Odds Bodkin when he came to my children's school last year. This was the first tape we listened to and I will soon buy it. Bodkin's many voices combined with his gorgeous instrumental music give this recording a superlative, magical quality. My 12-, 10- and 7-year-old children were enthralled, and frankly, so was I. We could hardly wait until the next time we were all in the car so we could listen to the rest of the tape. Highly recommended.

OUTSTANDING!!!
This tape had my family enthralled for hours on a recent trip - we traveled to New York City and when we arrived at our friend's house, this tape was all we could talk about! It is a wonderful story by a truly talented man - thank you Odds Bodking for sharing your gift with us! ... Read more

Book Description

Canciones Tematicas para Aprender Idiomas is a delightful collection of songs and activities in Spanish teaching salutations, rooms of the house, pets, meals, food and cutlery, transportation, communication, parts of the body, clothing, the weather and prepositions. The lyric book includes over a dozen activities and exercises which may be reproduced by the classroom teacher. A complement of nine instrumental tracks allows students to become performers, boosting literacy skills and making performances fun, karoke style. Please note that the entire recording and lyric/activity book is in Spanish. This immersion approach to learning has been proven to work best. The singers are native speakers and have fabulous voices. Timid learners may wish to also purchase the publisher's English version (Thematic Songs for Learning Language) for reference purposes. ... Read more

Book Description

In Bouncy Mouse the focus is on the vowel team sounds of ou, ow and oi, oy.Bouncy Mouse bothers his Dad, until his noisy musical antics lead to stardom!32 pages, 6 1/2 x 9, Audio Cassette: Side A: Read-Along, Side B: Listening, Ages 4-8 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

the best tool for learning japanies
if you want to learn japanies this is great i thought myself and my kids japanies and now we just booked a trip to japan for this summer hopeing to learn more hope that you all have as much sucess as i did. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (6)

A Believe It Or Not book for the musically inclined
Most eccentrics do not become famous and most talented souls remain undiscovered. In "Lives of the Musicians", however, eccentrics with talent not only were discovered, but lauded long past their own lifetimes. Author Kathleen Krull has partnered with illustrator Kathryn Hewitt to create the world's first interesting children's collection of biographical information concerning some of the best composers ever to breathe.

The book spans the field of music from Verdi to Woody Guthrie. Each entry (there are sixteen in total) contains one picture and one description of the artist's life. These descriptions, as described by the author herself, "are offered now as a way of getting closer to the musicians - and the music". Every quirk and interesting tidbit is laid before the reader in the most wonderfully entrancing ways. Did you know that Bach once got into a knife fight in the streets? Or that Sir William Gilbert owned a bee named Buzfuz? It might be interesting to collect such fun but otherwise meaningless tidbits about composers' sometimes sordid lives, but Krull goes a step further. Facts included in each life explore the necessary details of their birth and death dates, how they were introduced to music, their lives, etc. Each section is also followed by information about their best-known works. What I liked about this book, however, was that the author did not choose to linger over their individual creations. A kid reading this book is not going to want to hear a long drawn out account of exactly why Chopin chose to write his Funeral March the way he did. You can find this information in a standard biography of Chopin's works. No, this is a book gives children the chance to acknowledge that all those hoity-toity names they've been forced to digest in elementary school music classes actually had interesting and sometimes wacky lives. Plus, the author is kind enough to include a section of musical terms, an index of composers, and a list meant, "For Further Reading ... And Listening", for those kids who wish to know more about these fascinating heroes of music.

Krull's method of writing is particularly adept when conveying irony. In her section devoted to Erik Satie (a perfect choice for this book, if ever there was one) she describes the composer's reaction to his own poverty.

"He once remarked, 'It's odd. You find people in every bar willing to offer you a drink. No one ever dreams of presenting you with a sandwich'".

The next line then states off-handedly, "He died of cirrhosis of the liver at age fifty-nine". Kids may not get the joke, but I for one whole-heartedly approve of the author's choice to mention that fact after such a statement.

Because the book only contains sixteen composers, you can't help but wonder what the author's method of selection was. These composers certainly define the canon of Western music, with two women, an African-American, and a man of Jewish decent serving to bring a little diversity to the list. But why include Charles Ives and not Claude Debussy? Why Stravinsky and not Wagner? The only reasons I can find for some choices would be because some composers lived far more interesting lives than others. Certainly the range of oddities Krull has collected is fascinating.

This book is probably best for slightly older children. Krull is an honest biographer and does not skirt around the fact that Chopin and George Sand never married, or that Tchaikovsky was undoubtedly a homosexual. She does not fudge facts to make them more interesting or record hearsay and rumor (though she is prone to mentioning "legends", like that concerning Beethoven's death). All in all, you will not find a better or more entrancing way of introducing kids to the classical composers. And for those of you that wouldn't be able to tell Prokofiev from Stravinsky if you bumped into him in the street, let me recommend that you take a gander at this puppy as well. It's a heck of a lot of fun, and a hoot to boot.

I Loved This Book.....
I loved this book because it made those musicians seem like real people instead of great-all-star-super-geniuses. It is full of strange little facts about all the famous musicians like Bach,Gershwin,Beethoven and Schmann.

---Megan W.

Lives of the Musicians
This book provides interesting insight into the lives of composers. I teach music to elementary and high school students and I read this book to all of my students. They all enjoy learning the details of the composers lives. The book presents the composers in such a way that the students remember the information about the composers. The book does not provide information about what the composers' music sounds like, and that is something I also like to teach. A great book to gain kids'interest in famous composers.

Lives of the Musicians--Good Times, Bad Times, and What the
I first read lives of the musicians when I was about 7 yearsold or so. Then, I thought it was terrific. I still do. However, I amnow 12 years old, and now that I have paid more attention to it, I see several faults, but overall it is still a very good book. First of all, their choice of musicians is not the best. I would have recommended Debussy and Schubert, like the Kirkus Reviewer. Some of the composers I have hardly ever heard of, like Igor Stravinsky or Nadia Boulanger. And while Clara Schumann was a great pianist, I think they should have focused more on her husband, Robert, a prolific composer, whose works are among the very best. Also, some of the parts of the biographies are questionable. Frederic Chopin may not have actually been romantically involved with Aurore Dudevant (George Sand), but in love with the Countess Delphine Potocka. The book states that the Waltz in D-Flat, or Minute Waltz, was written for George Sand's dog, when in fact it was probably written for Potocka. However, the book was still very well written, and I enjoyed it, despite the possible mistakes. I recommend this book to anyone who likes music, classical or not. So sit back and enjoy!

Lives of the Musicians-Good Times, Bad Times, and What the N
My granddaughter, age 9, said this: "I enjoyed this book so much that I checked it out of my school library 5 times. I am in ballet, and Tchaikovsky wrote our recital music. We are doing "Sleeping Beauty". I enjoyed reading about his life. Then I got to read about the other ones, too, and found them very interesting. I thought that Kathleen Krull described their lives as if each composer was telling about himself/herself. The illustrations told me alot about what their personalities were like. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys music." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great book. Kids love to dance and listen to the music.
This is a wonderful book.Kids love to listen to the songs and move to the music. They get excercise without really knowing it.My children listened to it hundreds of times and now my nieces and nephews enjoy it. Iused it at a kindergarten activity and all of them enjoyed it immensely. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great!
Erika just turned 3, we have to read this book again and again every bed time. She likes it so much. She is now able to tell the rhyme as we turn the pages. Wow... I never thought memory could be so sharp at 3! The story is cute and the mouse expressions are funny. And Erika is building vocabulary.

Love it
These books are great for teaching children about language. ... Read more