Peter and the Wolf by Bono, Gavin Friday and The Friday-Seezer Ensemble Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Peter and the Wolf
Book Review: For children & adults, a stunningly original version
Summary: 5 Stars
This boasts the most stunningly original musical arrangement of "Peter & the Wolf" I have ever heard. The narration is compelling. My son adores it, he hung on every word. The drawings are appealing as well. Another reviewer complains that the drawings (particularly of the cat) are not 'appropriate' for children. I strongly disagree. I had no problem sharing this book with my son. I also gave the book as a gift to several friends with young children this holiday season, and everyone enjoyed the entire project thoroughly--no complaints about the kitty. These drawings are TAME compared with what children see on television and in film, and in the music directly marketed to them these days. I'd rather have my son look at this book than see images of Britney or Christina Aguilera plastered in the media. I recommend this version to anyone interested in introducing (or re-introducing) their children to the story of Peter & the Wolf.Book Review: Get it and you won't regret it....
Summary: 5 Stars
This book and CD are great for several reasons. As a lifelong U2 fan, I would of course buy it because Bono illustrated it, but that alone doesn't being to cover how cool this. "Peter and the Wolf" is a great children's story to begin with. Add in some great and very interesting illustrations done by Bono, Gavin Friday reading the story, as well as assembling a great arrangement for the music and you have a sure-fire, can't miss edition. The edition is well packaged and would make a great gift. It comes in a box, which includes the CD and book. The music is amazing. Different instruments are used that you normally wouldn't find and I found myself wishing that this had been around when I was a kid. Then maybe I would have enjoyed it more! As it is, it makes me smile. Bono's illustrations are extremely unique. They are deceptively plain and simple. I personally wouldn't expect anything less from him. Although, a warning, there are a couple of illustrations that may be slightly questionable for children. The real star with this is Gavin Friday, most famous, (perhaps unfortunately for such a talented guy) for being Bono's friend. Friday's voice is perfect for this telling. He has a unique voice in his music and he has applied it here. I could listen to it over and over again. The CD also has an enhanced feature with a behind-scenes documentary and gallery for PCs.
If you paid attention to nothing else, this is the bottom line. "Peter and the Wolf" extremely good all around, and it is even for a good cause, benefiting the Irish Hospice program. Can't beat that!
Book Review: Great for all ages
Summary: 5 Stars
Being a Gavin Friday fan (so much so that we named our son Gavin) I had to get this boxed set when it came out and I was not dissapointed. The illustrations were wonderful, Gavin's reading of the story (and the music) was simply amazing. Perhaps the more American puritanical parents will have issues with bare breasts illustrated, however most of the world would find nothing objectionable to even younger than the "recommended" age. I found it simply refreshing that illustrations in a children's geared book are not devoid of body parts which everyone has and what most (thankfully) associate with feeding children and not sex.
A box set well worth purchasing.
Book Review: Great for kids and adults alike
Summary: 5 Stars
I checked the drawings in the book accompanying this great CD to see whether any of them would be damaging to children. There's one cute drawing of a cat. It's not lewd in any way. It's just a charming picture of a cat that happens to have breasts. Breasts aren't particularly harmful to children if you ask me.Never mind the book, keep it away from your toddler if you absolutely must, but don't deny them the delightful interpretation of Prokofiev's classic by Ireland's finest, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer. The instrumentation's inspired and Gavin's voice is wickedly playful.
Keep an eye out for the upcoming animated film of this production!
Book Review: Help children develop multi-focal literacy
Summary: 4 Stars
Buy this book! As a librarian, and mother of three, I highly reccomend this book and CD for both children and adults. This initiative by the Irish Hospice Foundation joins the considerable musical talents of Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer with spirited illustrations by Bono to create a richly rewarding sensory experience. The narration and orchestration are novel and pure listening pleasure for children and adults. The practice of enriching text with thoughtful art and quality music has the well-documented effect of promoting literacy and improving cognitive skills in children. This project does that, and does it extremely well.
My only complaint with the book is that the size is too small to share easily with large groups of children.
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