Amazon.com Review
This curious little picture book sets out to accomplish the odd--but surprisingly worthwhile--task of assembling some classic Rodgers & Hammerstein lyrics into a kid-friendly, sing-along format.
Getting to Know You! samples songs from some of the Broadway duo's better-known musicals (Oklahoma! , Carousel, South Pacific, and The King and I), acting them out with a cast of cute animals playfully illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Max's Bath, etc.). You might need to hit the video store to recall the tune to a few of these (like Oklahoma!'s "Farmer and the Cowman"), but most of the 16 songs--from "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" to "Some Enchanted Evening"--should be memorable enough to get you singing within the first few words. For the rest, Getting to Know You! even includes a staple-bound songbook tucked into the back cover, which includes sheet music and complete lyrics for all the songs.
Given that Rodgers & Hammerstein won countless awards for their musicals (including two Pulitzers and armfuls of Tonys, Grammys, Emmys, and Oscars), maybe it's not so surprising that the lyrics adapt well into any format. If nothing else, it's hard to argue with any book that can get your kid belting out, "I'm gonna wash that man right outa my hair!" (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes
From Publishers Weekly
Rosemary Wells's beloved characters make their Broadway debut in Getting to Know You! Rodgers and Hammerstein Favorites, an oversize edition with excerpts from 16 of the duo's most popular tunes. One of Wells's signature bunnies, drawn in pastels, awakens in his bed to "a bright, golden haze on the meadow" ("Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' "), and chicks and ducks and geese really do scurry as a pair of straw-hatted ducks take out their "Surrey with the Fringe on Top." "Mister Snow" makes for a neatly complete vignette, but "If I Loved You" may leave youngsters stumped. Tucked in the back, a songbook offers the complete words and melody line to each tune.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
