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Aesop's Fables for Today's Kids

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K-Gr 4—Proving once again that Aesop's fables are timeless, Billy Gorilly gives 16 of the tales a modern twist and lively piano accompaniment in his latest collection. While more traditional tales such as "The Lion and the Mouse, "The Rabbit and the Turtle, "The Fox and the Grapes," and "The Grasshopper and the Ant" are sung, other stories are expressively and humorously told by John Maellaro, Charles Hardman, and Tamara Maellaro. The fables have been rewritten by Maellaro and Hardman, with simplified language, a touch of humor, and a contemporary setting, making the lessons even more accessible and relevant. "The Popular Ones" addresses the problem of cliques and bullying, while "Benny the Bragger" tells of the new student who is desperate to be liked. The moral of "haste makes waste" is illustrated by "Fast Freddie and Steady Eddie." "Farmer Brown and the Scrambled Eggs" teaches listeners not to count their chickens before they hatch, and not to dream of buying a widescreen TV before they have the money in hand. This upbeat compilation features piano music emphasizing the mood of the stories and as an accompaniment to the songs. The last track, "One World, Many Stories," is a bonus tribute to libraries. This tune and printable materials are available free for summer reading programs on Billy Gorilly's website (billygorilly.com). Youngsters will want to listen to these over and over again.—MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY
In this beautiful, heartrending, yet horrifying film, North Koreans tell their stories of imprisonment, sexual slavery, torture, murder, and escape to China or South Korea during the nearly 50-year regime of Kim Il Sung (1912—94). The interviews are illustrated through the interspersion of dance sequences, archival news footage, and drawings. Particularly interesting are the North Korean propaganda films celebrating Kim Il Sung as God and showing in the face of mass starvation happy workers, elaborate military displays, and the creation of a new flower in 1988 in honor of the 46th birthday of Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong Il. A valuable time line traces 20th-century events in Korea. Bonus features include previously unreleased footage of camp refugees. This mesmerizing film displays excellent production values and is highly recommended for Asia collections.—Kitty Chen Dean, formerly with Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, NY
Reviewed by Kitty Chen Dean , Aug 01, 2011

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