Songs from the Sandbox. CD

PreS-Gr 2—A member of the trio Parachute Express for 25 years, Stephen Michael Schwartz (winner of Parents' Choice and NAPPA awards) launches his first solo album with 12 memorable songs. His rich, smooth voice is versatile enough to handle several musical styles: New Orleans romp, show tune, jazz, polka, and sea shanty. Schwartz and his guest musicians also make beautiful background music on guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin. "Three Crows" is a traditional, silly Scottish song. Schwartz wrote "Wrap Me Up in Yellow" and "Dinosaur Hunt" for the TV show Jay Jay the Jet Plane. "Owney's Song" honors a real dog, a mutt who was the mascot of the Railway Post Office in the late 1800s. "Alligator Pie" by Dennis Lee is chanted along with a jazzy beat. The rest of the playlist includes "Statues Dance," "Kitty Walks a Tightrope" (story and song), "Mind of His Own," "Valentine Tree," "California Grey" (whales), and "Peace at Last" (about a young child who refuses to go to sleep). Upbeat and lively this album will appeal to the entire family.—Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX