Review by Booklist Review
Fresh and intriguing, this African cumulative tale of the origin of music unfolds in a vibrant storyteller's voice. The forest has many sounds: hyenas yelp, buffalos groan, monkeys chitter, and crocodiles snort. Only the frogs are silent. When an elephant stubs its foot on a hollow log, it begins beating the log with its foot. As the animals listen to the rhythm, they join in: Crane's claws tinkled over the scales on Crocodile's back. For six days the animals (except the frogs) dance, play, and sway, and on the seventh day, when everyone else is quiet, the frogs sing Reep-reep-ree! The message (everyone has something to add to the mix) is subtle, but clear enough for children to understand. However, it's the stylized, earth-toned illustrations, resembling carved wooden figures, that really rock and roll, evoking the synergy of the forest animals. Varied type colors and sizes add visual vibration to a tale ripe for audience participation. --Julie Cummins Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Pritchett's original story gives a folkloric explanation for the development of polyrhythmic and polyphonic music. At first, all the African animals make their sounds without regard to the others. One day, almost by accident, they listen to Elephant stomping, "Padada BOOM-pada BOOM!" and begin to add their own rhythms and voices ("Shh-ka-shh!," "Skee-de-lee!," etc.), and the resultant dance party goes on for days. Only the frogs sit listening on the periphery. Finally, in the quiet dawn of the seventh day, the frogs lift their voices: "Reep-reep-ree!" and before long everyone else joins in. This book practically insists upon audience participation. The stylized earth-toned illustrations employ patterns found in African carvings and fabrics to good effect. In the right hands (and feet and voices), this will make for a rousing storytime.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In the beginning, the African forest had many sounds."" Throughout this story, the animals come together to develop a new repertoire of sounds that blends beautifully into a tantalizing chorus. This highly rhythmic tale is well designed not just for reading aloud but also for performance. Bold, joyful oil paintings in deep jungle colors decorate the pages. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Pritchett offers a stylish telling of an original how and why story. The animals in the African forest realize that their disparate sounds are actually music. It begins with the gathered animals making their individuals noises: "Hyena yelped . . . monkey chittered." But when the elephant starts beating on a hollow log with his foot, his rhythm--"Boom boom boom boom padadada boom!"--captures the fancy of the other animals. All join in except the silent frogs, watching from their lily pads. The jam sessions accelerate, with dancing and improvised beats, and on the seventh day the silence of the forest is broken by the "Reep-reep-ree!" of the frogs. King Frog croaks out the beat, and everyone is part of the animal orchestra. Banks's stylized oil paintings give the African forest a rich, dark beauty. In an author's note, Pritchett offers helpful suggestions for listener participation. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
