By: Paula Slade
One of the most widely recognized classic fables attributed to the ancient Greek storyteller, Aesop, has been set to music by noted conductor/composer Stephen Simon and the world famous London Philharmonic Orchestra in a new CD release, The Tortoise and the Hare.
The timeless tale has been updated with the boastful bunny and the plodding tortoise competing in a marathon, replete with roadside water stops, cooling towels and a French pretzel vendor, created by album producer, Bonnie Ward Simon.
The story is narrated by Dr. Konrad Czynski a/k/a/ “Yadu,” Professor of Humanities at Minnesota State University, Moorehead.
The delightful adaptation blends richly created music themes and enhanced vocabulary in the storytelling to help children hone listening skills and build musical memories.
The CD includes six supplemental tracks that cover background information about Aesop and his fable, "how" music is composed, a Dixieland rendition of a song that is performed within the story ( “Pretzel Vendor of Paris” ) and a family sing-along.
A pint-sized (for small hands) 24-page activity booklet, illustrated by nationally recognized children’s book illustrator, Renee Andriani, rounds out the package. The booklet provides information on every thing from a picture of all the instruments that make up an orchestra, to the differences between turtles and tortoises, rabbits and hares along with a word jumble, crossword puzzle and a dot-to-dot drawing to provide extra fun.
The Tortoise and the Hare can be sound sampled and downloaded at Maestro Classics or CD Baby.
Total Playing Time: 53 minutes/57 seconds
Recommended for children ages 5 and up.
If you enjoyed this article, you may want to read:
How to introduce your child to classical music: Making friends with a symphony orchestra
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