Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Children's Music Editor, Andrew Bartlett FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * 10 Under $10: Great picks for the budget-conscious * New and Notable: "Sound and Spirit: Welcoming Children into the World," "Classical Child at the Ballet," "Uni Verse of Song: Spanish," and "World Playground" * Happy About Hap Palmer's "Turn on the Music" and "Can Cockatoos Count by Twos?" * Listen While You Read: Books about music and the CDs that go with them * Cartoon Music: From Carl Stalling to Space Ghost 10 UNDER $10: GREAT PICKS FOR THE BUDGET-CONSCIOUS ************************************************** You might be in the mood for the creative Disney Babies "Lullaby" collection, with its touching renditions of "All the Pretty Little Horses" and "La La Lu," or maybe you want to hear Gene Autry's "Always Your Pal." Or maybe you even want the brain-tickling "Beethoven for Babies." The good news is that each of these CDs is a classic and is under $10. We've picked 10 winners with which you get high-quality kids albums and save money. Children's Music NEW AND NOTABLE *************** "Sound and Spirit: Welcoming Children into the World" Various artists http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JRM0/entertainmentsit From the brain trust at National Public Radio's winning "Sound and Spirit" show comes a hearty collection of tunes from around the world, all centered around welcoming the new arrival. Sweet Honey in the Rock provides "Oh Children" and Malcolm Dalglish serves up "Little Potato." But it's tunes such as the Baka nursery rhyme or the Nepalese lullaby that convince the listener of the global purpose of music played and sung in honor of the smallest among us. "The Classical Child at the Ballet" Ernie Mavrides http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000A84K/entertainmentsit This lighthearted collection of tireless symphonic standards is obviously aimed at charming the feet. The 20 selections are brief enough that they make good ballet music for the afternoon play session or for the full presentation. The music isn't of the classic-performances ilk and as such it substitutes a gentle, softened instrumental aura for the big, live feel of a real orchestra. It's fun material, perfect for a day of twirling on your toes. "Uni Verse of Song: Spanish" Maria del Rey http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JFWN/entertainmentsit Vocalist Maria del Rey delighted listeners with her soothing, musically exquisite "Lullabies of Latin America" in early 1999 and now she's back with an equally impressive collection. This one, though, is chock full of fun-inducing Spanish-language songs that are instructive in their divulgence of Spanish turns of phrase and vocabulary. But "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" hasn't sounded any more enjoyable, nor has "Shortnin Bread" resonated better, in a long while. Perfect for the back-to-school season, "Uni Verse of Song" is also year-round entertainment--and roundly smart. "World Playground" Various artists http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JT4P/entertainmentsit Digging deep into the respectable catalog at Putamayo Records, the "World Playground" collection is a smash. As with "Sound and Spirit," the tunes come from around the world. There's Buckwheat Zydeco doing his rave-up "Mardi Gras Mambo," Cedella Marley Booker and Taj Mahal's "Three Little Birds," Manu Chao doing his chic French "Bongo Bong," and much more. It's a rooted, global journey that has the earmarks of a party that kids will love. HAPPY ABOUT HAP PALMER ********************** "Turn on the Music" Hap Palmer http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IQYC/entertainmentsit Musician and childhood educator Hap Palmer has a great thing going. He's developed a wonderful repertoire of fun, funny music that's built around both learning and physical involvement in the songs. He's remarkably consistent in his approach, but "Turn on the Music" is a particularly excellent example of his work, focusing as it does on home, school, and societal themes that ring with all the clarity of great pop tunes--and teach a lesson, too. "Can Cockatoos Count by Twos?" Hap Palmer http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000DTCV/entertainmentsit With "Can Cockatoos Count by Twos?" Hap Palmer has done it yet again. His goals are richly detailed in the liner notes, as are the directions for various games and activities related to the songs. The music is mostly acoustic and ranks among Palmer's most friendly, catchy material. The notion of learning through song is more than a novel idea for Palmer, and this CD proves it. LISTEN WHILE YOU READ ********************* There are so many wonderful children's books with music as their subject matter that it's necessary to make some recommendations. Did you love Chris Raschka's lovingly illustrated "Charlie Parker Played Be Bop" and "Mysterious Thelonious"? Have you seen Kathy Jakobsen's fantastic new illustrations for "This Land Is Your Land"? Well, we've picked the best CDs for extending the reading-about-music experience to a listening experience. Children's Books CARTOON MUSIC: FROM CARL STALLING TO SPACE GHOST ************************************************ Animation has helped define the 20th century. From Saturday-morning silliness to a celebrated art form, the motion of animation has been aided immeasurably by music. Kids remember the key moments, the essence of characters, and a show's mood by its music. We've gathered up tunes from Carl Stalling, Space Ghost, Scooby-Doo, and the grandmother of them all, the "Pic-A-Nic Basket" by Hanna-Barbera, for you to peruse. Children's Music ****** You'll find more great music, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Children's Music section at Children's Music
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