From Publishers Weekly
Like fellow performer Justin Roberts (see Yellow Bus, above), McDermott knows of what he sings: he, too, was a Montessori teacher before becoming a recording artist. This follow-up to his award-winning I Am Baby again goes right to the heart of topics and tunes that grab kids' attention. Spanish guitar, country and western are among the influences found in McDermott's 10 original, clever compositions. Excellent supporting vocals and skillful guitar playing give his friendly sounding vocals an extra boost. "Let's Go to the Beach" is a bouncy Beach Boys-inspired ditty about the great times to be had in sun, sand and surf. The cheerful harmonies on "Clap Your Hands" will surely make listeners eager to join in and make music any way they can. In "My Cat Can Fly," a kid is boggled by his pet's amazing abilities: "My cat can fly,/ My cat can fly/ I feed her regular cat chow,/ But my cat can fly." And the breezy ukulele-tinged "Come to Hawaii" extols the virtues of a backyard paradise replete with canned pineapple, cardboard palm trees and a wading pool. McDermott succeeds in providing an inventive musical outing for the whole family. Ages 2-up.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-6-Seven stories from different cultures (Haitian, Cree, English, French, West African, Russian, and Irish) are retold in this collection by a seasoned storyteller. The tellings are well paced for reading aloud, using repetitive phrasing and questions. Yet there is no sense of what binds these stories together as a collection, except that they are probably the reteller's favorites. And the storyteller's voice is so present, in fact, that the selections lack any sense of individualizing culture. The illustrations, while nicely detailed and evocative of the mood, also dissipate the cultural flavor of each tale. Although attention is paid to reproducing some details from each country, the people all have the same tiny dot eyes and no mouths, and the landscapes have a similar pale and sparse appearance. Source notes are included. As many of these stories can be found in other collections, this title does not add anything new to most general folktale sections.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
