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Keller Williams Kids

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PreS-Gr 2—For his 16th album, Williams focuses his talents on writing and performing family-friendly music. Defying musical classification, he does funky ("Car Seat" and "Keep It on the Paper"), folksy ("My Neighbor Is Happy Again," "Good Advice," "Lucy Lawcy"), country ("Because I Said So," "Takin' a Bath"), and rhythmic/eclectic ("Hula Hoop to da Loop," Soakie von Soakerman," and "Mama Tooted") equally well. Thirteen of the songs are original and have smart lyrics about topics that will appeal to youngsters, such as problems with a pet goat, the joy of riding in a car seat, Mom's responses to unreasonable requests, smelling better after a bath, changing diapers, and passing gas. Williams's young daughter performs on several tracks, including "The Fastest Song in the World." His cover of Jim Connor's "Grandma's Feather Bed" is fresh-sounding. Harmonies and instrumentation is generally unplugged, making it sound intimate. Clever lyrics, catchy tunes, and Williams's laid-back, casual style all add up to success.—Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH
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 , Apr 01, 2011

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