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Making Silly Faces

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PreS-Gr 3—Florida-based composer/musician/teacher Nick Deysher rocks on this baker's dozen of original tunes, his fifth studio CD. Using a wide range of musical styles including rock, pop, reggae, jazz, and funk, he injects humor in song lyrics that often teach. He sings his heart out in the melodrama/reggae tune "I Tried It, I Liked It!" (detailing the rewards of tasting a new type of food), displays sincerity in the folksy "It's Easy Being Green" (explaining how to be ecologically green), is playful in the country-flavored "You've Got to Have Patience" (encouraging this virtue), and rocks the joint in the disco tune "Dancing Pants" (sure to have listeners moving to the beat). His wife, Tracey Freitag, frequently offers solid backup vocals and takes the lead in "Slumber Party," channeling Lady Gaga. Other standouts include the cool, jazzy Leonard Cohen-sounding "Making Silly Faces"; the gruff, scruffy sea chantey "Pirates Never Say Please"; and "Punk Rocks," a tune about types of rocks. Smart tunes for smart kids—a surefire winner.—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 , Dec 01, 2011

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