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When I Was Your Age

NOT- -AVAIL-ABL-E.
COPY ISBN
Gr 1—5—These 12 original tunes composed by singer/songwriter Chris Propfe have appeal for both school-aged children and families. His experience as a teacher proves helpful in writing lyrics, as he has a finger on the pulse of where his fans' interests lie. Song topics include Pluto's removal from the list of planets in the solar system ("The Ballad of Pluto"), getting caught misbehaving ("Eyes in the Back of Your Head"), a favorite time in school ("My Favorite Subject Is Lunch"), UFOs ("U.F.O. (oh, oh, oh)"), and rainbows ("Roy G. Biv"). Propfe mixes things up with a story-song about the trouble encountered by a porcupine ("A Sticky Situation"), a game ("The Name Train"), and an imaginary town ("City of Lights"). Use of harmonies, flute, and bongos add interest to these songs that are largely ballads or pop tunes.—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 , Jul 01, 2011

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