La Bella Stella

PreS-Gr 5—Fifteen stellar performers celebrate earthly and heavenly things in a variety of musical styles, including jazz, rock, folk, soft folk rock, and country. "So Long to the Day" is a fine a cappella piece with unusual, but lovely harmonies. Several of the other songs also include wonderful harmonizing. Charity and the JAMband use chords other than the standard major chords, and harmonies include more than the standard thirds. "Nature's Lullaby" (Maria Alley), "Nocturnal" (Ken Lonnquist), and "Safe at Home" (Banana Slug String Band) all celebrate animals such as insects, birds, nocturnal animals, and baby animals. "Shooting Stars" (Martha Johnson) features an African thumb piano as instrumental background. "Galaxy Song" (Andy Z), "Man in the Moon" (Wayne from Maine), "Earth's Satellite" (Wendy Whitten), "Pluto" (Rocknoceros), "Neptune Lullaby" (Dr. Planet), and "Harmony of the Spheres" (Laura Giosh) all depict heavenly entities. The rest of the playlist includes "I Love the Dark" (Tom Knight), "Gravity" (AudraRox), "Aurora Borealis" (Lori & J. D. Uponen), and "Shadow" (Mary Kaye). An excellent album for the entire family.—Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX