Music Spotlight: "Tumblebee" by Laura Veirs

I first heard Laura Veirs on NPR's All Songs Considered program.  Her folksy, easy-going music was a balm for a chaotic day.  When she had a child, she decided that she wanted to create an album of music that  children would enjoy, but not  an album exclusively for children.  Consequently, "Tumblebee" is an album that is easy to listen to, and downright enjoyable for all ages.

Part of its appeal to the older set is a nostalgic redux of several traditional folk songs that are familiar with adults of all ages.  Even the original pieces by Veirs and others sound like songs you should know, because they blend so effortlessly with the traditional pieces.

The album alternates between faster songs and slower ballads.  Though I would imagine that kids would prefer the faster, funnier songs such as "Jump Down Spin Around" (my son definitely does), the slower songs are engaging as well.  One such song is "Why Oh Why," which illustrates a vignette of a small child asking the age-old question and parent responding with their answer: "Why can't a mouse eat a streetcar? /Why oh why oh why? / Because a mouse's stomach could never hold a streetcar / goodbye goodbye goodbye."

The album's sound feels organic, and I think that's the folk style shining through.  It feels like a good group of friends just got together and made fantastic music.  And fantastic it is!  The sound is crisp and clear, the lyrics are easy to understand, and Veirs does not rely on affectations to make her voice unique. The Americana Folk sound includes violin and other strings, a bit of mouth harp, and clangy piano.  It stays firmly in folk-music land without making the leap to bluegrass.

This is an album to be enjoyed by children, and the liner notes reflect a little bit of whimsy.  The lyrics and notes for each song look hand-scrawled, and is interspersed with line drawings of animals playing instruments.  The notes include explanations for the origins of each of the songs.  For example, one of the ballads "All the Pretty Horses" was sung by a slave who was trying to comfort her baby while caring for her master's child.  The story is heart-wrenching, but the song isn't sad, and in folk tradition, it seems right to know the story behind the song.

My experience with this album has been a positive one, and I have enjoyed playing it for my son.  He loves "Jump Down Spin Around," a call and response song that hearkens to the Old South with references to cooking "a mess of greens" and picking "a bale of cotton."  Another silly favorite is "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-Oh" which is a traditional song that many will be familiar with in one form or another.

Overall, I have nothing negative to say about this album and I have either gifted it or recommended it to a large number of my own friends with children.  The universality of its tunes make it especially unique.

Tumblebee
By Laura Veirs
Copyright 2011
Raven Marching Band Records

Seven Kicks for Seven Impossible Things

Review:

Book Nook’s Seven Kicks:

What I love about Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

1. I love the title.  Literary, yet catchy, and makes the reader or browser want to know what the blog is about.  
2. The blog has a vintage feel, with fleur de lis wallpaper panels, and one of several illustrations of the Mad Tea Party as its header, reflecting the source of the blog’s name:  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol.
3. The author is a reviewer for children’s literature at Kirkus and brings her finds to her blog and to her readers.  The blog is at once thoughtful and enthusiastic about new children’s lit, as well as any homage that is paid to children’s literature of yore.
4. Though the blog is clear and easy to follow, since there are so many images, I do wish the blog had a larger area for glorious spreads of artwork.  Apparently, the pictures are bigger than they were in the past, according to the blog’s author.
5. 7 Imp’s 7 Kicks.  Though the blog is mainly devoted to literary pursuits, I appreciate a divergence into the personal.  Each week or so, the author lists “7 Kicks”: 7 great things that happened that week.  She also encourages her readers to list their seven kicks in the comments section of the blog.  It’s a way to see the blogger in a more personal light; there are ridiculous pictures of her eight-year-old daughter, favorite books, links to favorite discoveries, or simple lists of thankfulness.
6. Connections.  This author has cred, and it’s so neat to see how the children’s book authors divulge their work.  There are images of artist’s worktables, spread with the first sketches for a book idea, and then the mock-ups of pages, and then finally the finished product.  Here is one of my favorites.
7. Multimedia.  The author has videos, images, text, and beautiful illustrations for the reader to feast upon. Some of the content is personal such as a video of the author interpreting at a read-aloud for a Scholastic event; some more professional, like interviews with authors and spreads of their work.  

     The content, while it feels cramped at times, does a good job expressing a lot information in a small amount of space.  I feel lucky to have found such a varied site, filled with dramatically different artists and storytellers, all attempting to reach children in a meaningful way.  I use this blog already to stay on top of new titles I would be interested in purchasing at a later date.  Many of her book reviews are on books that have not been printed yet, so I would have to keep a running list of titles and release dates.  I also read it to learn about the world of book writing, publishing, illustrating and reviewing and for its entertainment value, which keeps me coming back.

Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood

     This book details the legend of the inception, deeds, and adventures of Sir Robin of Loxley, a.k.a.      Robin Hood

     The book is great for older youth.   There is some language, violence and mature subjects.  The pictures and panels are very dark, and the depictions and language would be too mature for young children.

The strengths:

     The writers and illustrators have stayed true to the legend and characters familiar through history: The Sheriff of Nottingham, Black Hugo, King Richard, this brother John, Little John, Robin Hood, and Maiden Marian, to name a few.  The plot is very detailed, and addresses how Robin Hood grew up, his relationships with friends and family, and then how he became the hero to his people.

The Weaknesses:

     The pictures are very dark.  I found it very difficult to tell exactly who people are, especially early in the novel, before Robin begins to wear his distinctive green attire.  The men all look the same, and there is only one distinctive woman, so there are a lot of men to keep track of.  Also, the love affair between Robin and Marian seems too contrived.  It happens very quickly after their first meeting, and she is supposedly still in mourning, so I am surprised that she accepts Robin’s advances after so little contact.              The love plot seems more realistic and organic later in the novel, once they’re had a few more encounters.

Uses:

The graphic novel is great for reluctant or visual readers, either on its own or as a supplement to written material.  It also works well as a “short” version for becoming familiar with plot, story line, themes, and major characters.  It is a fun way to introduce historical legends as well.

Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood

By Tony Lee, Sam Hart, Artur Fujita

Graphic Novel

Candlewick Press

ISBN: 0763644005

Read-alikes:
Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Bugan, Michael
Stone Arch Books. 2008. 


Gulliver’s Travels

Lemke, Donald
Stone Arch Books. 2008. 


King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Hall, M.C.