A child's introduction to classic art and classical music

New to me, from the March 2007 issue of Canadian Family magazine, found yesterday at the library:

Can You Hear It?, book and accompanying audio cd, by William Lach of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (published by Abrams); suggested for ages four to ten. From the Met Store website:

A bustling cityscape full of cars and people; the interior of a circus teeming with wild animals; ice-skaters gliding on a frozen pond in winter; a fascinating underwater world swimming with fish and sea creatures—classical music can inspire the imagination to envision scenes within melodies. Our book includes 13 pictures that set the stage for the music on the CD. A Japanese print by Ando Hiroshige of a hovering bee illuminates the trilling flutes in The Flight of the Bumblebee, while a Jazz Age painting by Kees van Dongen of a traffic jam at the Arc de Triomphe captures the rousing opening of An American in Paris, and a gilded Mughal watercolor of an elaborately-costumed elephant by an unknown artist gives life to the majestic creature from The Carnival of the Animals. Accompanying each image are guided questions and a CD track number that prime readers to listen for specific sounds. When the track is played, readers will look and listen as never before. The CD includes American and European orchestras playing 13 short works or excerpts of longer works by various composers like Rimsky-Korsakov, Vivaldi, Saint-Saëns, Gershwin, and others. Also included in the book is an introduction to musical instruments, illustrated with beautiful and historically significant examples from the Museum's collection, including a Stradivarius violin, a crystal flute, the oldest piano in the world, and one of Segovia's guitars. Following this section are notes on each artist and composer, and information on the visual and musical works presented both in the book and on the CD.

From the Met's "Can You Find It?" series of art books for children.

Getting Ready

Our flight leaves Friday at 1 pm. For the past few years on our annual trip to see my parents, we've left home at 8 am, after finishing farm chores and tidying the kitchen, for the drive to the city. That gives us about two-and-a-half hours to get to the airport, and some extra time there to check ourselves in, a new wrinkle since last year which I loathe because there are always glitches and never any sort of price reduction, which you'd expect since I and not a salaried employee am doing the grunt work. I know a racket when I see it.

Over the weekend, however, Tom and I started thinking about leaving Thursday evening and staying with friends just outside of Edmonton, since the weather lately has been exceedingly cold, snowy, and windy. We spoke with our friends last night and they kindly offered not just to put us up for the night but to drive us to the airport and keep our truck for the duration. Just in time. It snowed all day here, with freezing rain in and around Edmonton, with lots of vehicles in the ditch along the city highways. And not too many flights in or out of the airport either, but that's another concern. So at this point we're almost certain about leaving late Thursday rather than early Friday, though it means an extra day of farm chores for Tom's parents. Plane is scheduled to arrive at 7 pm, then free shuttle bus to the delightful Courtyard by Marriott with the excellent Greek restaurant next door that offers room service, clean duvets, and a bountiful buffet breakfast. And no bedbugs, I hope (yes, I check).

Packing has turned into a mini-spring cleaning. As the kids tried on summer clothes and picked books to bring along, we discovered oodles of things that didn't fit or weren't wanted any more, and I have boxes and bags to pass along to friends and the Goodwill tomorrow.

Our hens decided that this would be a good time to molt, and I'm happy at their timing, because my mother-in-law won't have too many eggs to wash or any to deliver in our absence.

Since we'll be gone for only two weeks, I decided that I'm not going to make the kids take or do any schoolwork, aside from Laura learning by heart one of her two 4H speeches and the boys learning their two archy the cockroach poems for the Arts Festival next month. Last year I brought the Singapore Math books, which the kids distractedly worked on on my parents' veranda before they could go swimming each morning. But we were there longer, and I want them now to be able to spend as much time as possible enjoying the delights of their holiday, especially time with my parents.

After much thought and several weeks of shifting around piles, we're taking these for our readalouds, but may not get through all of them:
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day by Donald J. Sobol
Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way by Donald J. Sobol
Feldman Fieldmouse: A Fable by Nathaniel Benchley, with drawings by Hilary Knight; my old copy, from the old school Book Fair
The Burgess Seashore Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess (alright, a little bit of sneaky school)

Up, up, and away. We hope.

PS Just remembered: I probably won't be blogging even irregularly, so if I don't pop back in, February 14th is not just Valentine's Day but the day the Cybils winners are announced. Chocolate and children's books -- no wonder it's my favorite holiday!

Well, it looks like a book...

This week in Canada is Canadian Children's Book Week. Excuse me. Make that TD (as in the bank Toronto-Dominion) Canadian Children's Book Week, which means that for the past seven years, every year first grader across the country is supposed to get a free Canadian children's book. This is supposed to big year, as it marks the 30th anniversary of CCBW as well as the 20th anniversary of this year's giveaway, Franklin in the Dark, about Franklin the Whiny Turtle. I've never liked Franklin, not in book form and not on television, and not even for free, so my first grader won't be helping the celebrations (and hence the link lack).

Last year's offering was the classic Canadian children's poetry book, Alligator Stew by Dennis Lee; but there have been some clinkers over the years (which you can tell by the number of copies that show up chez Goodwill and at garage sales), including The Girl Who Hated Books and Nicholas at the Library; you can just tell by the titles that someone is trying too darn hard to get kids to like books. Of course, it's the 20th anniversary this year of Kids Can Press's picture book edition of Robert Service's The Cremation of Sam McGee with illustrations by Ted Harrison, but I can see where some teachers and parents sadly would consider that inappropriate for first graders.

The problem with the substandard offerings, and substandard assumptions about what children would enjoy reading, is that they don't do anything to encourage children to enjoy either reading or books. But it makes the adults feel better, and what's not to like about a bunch of bankers patting themselves on the back?

Speaking of CanKidLit and twaddle, here's something from the life is too short/too many good books, too little time department: Degrassi "Extra Credit" graphic novels, based on the Degrassi High television show. Not on my shopping list any time soon.