Perfectly Purple

PreS-K—Mr. Eric (perhaps best known to librarians as Eric Litwin, the author of the "Pete the Cat" picture books) and Mr. Michael (Levine, the music producer for the books) add this sixth title to their "Early Learning Music" series, a music curriculum for preschoolers. Each of the 24 songs on the disc features a different musical style and either an arrangement or instrumentation that gives it pop. The topics range from dancing to emotions to places to food to animals, with little rhyme or reason to the order. The recording opens with "Hey, Hey, How Do You Do?" (a welcome/opening song that piggybacks on the tune "Skip to My Lou"), jumps into a bluesy "Come Dancing with Me" (featuring wonderful trumpet riffs), and slides into the folksong "Riding in a Buggy" (punctuated by a children's chorus). Other classic songs on the disc include "Shortnin' Bread," "La Bamba," "You Are Clapping," "Hey Lolly," "Four Little Ducks," and "Did You Ever See a Lassie?" Musical styles range from rock and roll to classical ballet to reggae to spiritual to Latin jazz. Mr. Eric includes his rendition of the "Three Little Pigs" (a story song) with much activity for listeners throughout. While this is not a necessary purchase, it is a worthwhile addition, particularly for those who want to spice up their collections of early childhood music.—Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH