Listen UP

plain stupid, this counts for a great
deal. 0 ► 1 1Ig0g0

Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor

Miracles
(Celestial Listening)

Pete's Chicken by
Harriet Ziefert and
Laura Rader

Perhaps you have noticed those
affordably priced CDs at drug or
discount stores and you've said to
yourself, "Hmmm, looks interesting,
and for just a few bucks how can
you go wrong?" And so you pick
one up, along with that horrendous
orange-flavored toothpaste your chil-
dren crave and the latest edition of
1 N The National Enquirer and head to
the cash register.
Here's some advice. Don't.
"Miracles," certainly typical of this
genre, bears a lovely picture of a
mother and a child. It also has on
the front a quote about miracles
and God -that's likely to entice new
parents, who rightfully get teary-
eyed over anything having to do
with birth. But like anything that
comes out of the mouth of talk-show
;72 host Jenny Jones, the music on this is
insufferable. The same dreary tune
over and over and over.
Of course, its title does offer a
kernel of truth: if you can listen to
this and stay sane, it's proof that
miracles still occur. 110

/-)

N

My Newish
Jewish Discovery
( by Craig 'n Co.

/-

H

(Available in book and record
stores, or order by calling 1-800-6-
CRAIG8).
There's not much to dislike about
Craig Taubman. His music is great
and his lyrics are pleasant enough
(a touch too cute at times for the
more cynical among us, but certain-
ly pleasing to little ears).
This latest collection of tunes from
the Garth Brooks of the kiddie set
(fortunately, though, we've yet to
see any 9-year-olds with Craig
Taubman tattoos) features some

great numbers, like "My Mother
Called Me A Name," "If Wishes
Could Come True" and "Fixing Up
the World" and a just a few that
are best listened to after you've had
a few drinks.
The key question is, will your child
love this? He will. The tunes are
toe-tapping, memorable and uplift-
ing, and the lyrics, which consistent-
ly emphasize how great it is to be
Jewish, are fun. And in a world
where so much of what is directed
toward children is offensive or just

(Mulberry Books)
This is a charming tale about a
rabbit child who, on the path to dis-
covering that he is a unique being,
draws a creative pic-
ture of a multicolored
chicken.
"That's some weird
chicken!" his class-
mate says when Pete
finishes his drawing.
Other students laugh.
The teacher is sup-
portive enough, but
she doesn't choose to
hang Pete's picture on
the wall. Instead, she
puts it in a pile on
her desk. Pete says,
"It made me sad to
leave my chicken on
top of a desk, so I
took mine home."
When Pete returns to
his house he is at first
sad. But then he says
to himself, "I'm me.
Nobody else looks
like me...And nobody
makes chickens like
me...not anyone!"
Pete's Chicken fea-
tures beautiful, child-
friendly illustrations and is a great
tool for teaching children self-confi-
dence. 1 10 11, 4 11 41►1►

baby elephant. The whole herd is
watching over you tonight, in the
moonlight.") perfect for putting tiny
ones to sleep. Interestingly, it also
includes a pull-out panorama of ani-
mals in their habitat. Children are
likely to find this panorama interest-
ing for one or two reads as they
search for the animals mentioned in
the text. After that, though, there's
not much they can do with it.
The drawings are lovely, showing
mother and father animals lovingly
gazing at and holding their chil-
dren. ww♦►t►

The Brain: Our
Nervous System
by Seymour Simon

(Morrow Junior Books)
This book serves as a good intro-
duction to one of the most fascinat-
ing aspects of the human body. It
has colorful, usually easy-to-under-
stand photos and a text that gives a
basic overview of what the brain
looks like and its major functions.
The Brain will appeal to children
8 and over, and also serve as a
good refresher for all of us parents
who were secretly reading How To

Catch A Teen-Age Boy and What
To Do With Him When You've Got
Him when we were supposed to be
paying attention in biology.
0/01•00*

Better you should watch reruns

of "Three's Company."

vivo Is this the best they could do?

WWII, Nothing great, nothing

Sleep Safe,
Little Whale by
Miriam Schlein,

awful.

with illustrations by Peter Sis
(Greenwillow Press)
This is a nice enough book,
with tender words ("Sleep safe,

is the cat's pajamas.

‘0%0A00 ► Try it, you'll like it.

VIV1 ► 110 4100 Meeee0000w! This

9/19
1997

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