Customer Reviews

The Shoe Bird: A Musical Fable by Samuel Jones. Based on a Story by Eudora Welty

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Samuel Jones' adaptation of Eudora Welty's book, Jim Dale's narration, The Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz, and pitch-perfect Seattle Boychoir & Girls of Vocalpoint, Seattle conducted by Joseph Crnko have joined forces creating a timeless classic sure to appeal to adults and children. Mr.Jones has skillfully interwoven his music and story, using the instruments of the orchestra to give voices to the birds. The nuances of Jim Dale's narration give each bird their own personality, bringing them most vividly to life. Filled with wit and wisdom it is a piece that begs to be listened to time and again, each listen providing something new. Dare say the next time you hear a bird singing in the wild both lessons learned, and the songs of the birds from The Shoe Bird: A Musical Fable will come to mind.

This is wonderful for all ages! The story is terrific and the narration and music really bring the book to life. The children's choir adds to the depth of the recording (and is terrific). Our whole family has enjoyed this! I'd have given it 5 stars but there are some sound level/volume challenges during the recording (which means you have to adjust the volume a tad so you can hear or so it's not too loud). Despite that, it is still WONDERFUL! The story is captivating and is packed with teachable moments/morals. Highly, highly recommended!

I'm a big fan of audio books for all ages. This one was a real disappointment though. First, the music levels were way too high for the actual story telling. In order to follow the story the volume had to be turned up then the musical interludes were loud and shrilly - very annoying.

The story was cute and entertaining, good moral.

The packaging on this item was way over the top as well. One disk, the box was 1.25 inches deep (I measured it) and the extra space (nearly all the space) stuffed with unnecessary Styrofoam.

But, one can't beat Jim Dale as a reader.

I wish I had known about this little gem before now. I would have purchased copies for all of the children I know (both young and old). It's so well done - the music is exquisite. The story is not complicated - but it certainly helps a person's enjoyment if they are familiar with different bird types. The choirs are very, very good. As are the instruments and narrater. It's a nice introduction to classical music. And it's fun to listen to on car rides too.
I picked this up at the library - but I intend to buy many copies of it. Highly recommend.

Beautifully done .. and with a good moral: Be happy with who you are.

We've played this several times for our 10 month old.It is a lovely story and has enough music to keep her interest. Quirky and easy to listen to - sure to become a family classic.

This is a beautiful audio book that all ages will enjoy. The story is rich and carries so much meaning we all can apply to life

and so did I. The music may be derivative, but it's all new ti kids. and the story is a pleasure to hear.

This is such a delightful story. The music is delightful and is enticing for everyone! You just simply must hear this magnificent work!