THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS

A distinguished trio combine for a fresh, accessible and wonderfully appealing reimagining of a classic 19th-century “program music” favorite (“program music” being music specifically created to describe or depict a visual image): Camille Saint-Saëns’s evocative 1886 favorite. Long a standby of the “light” classical-music repertoire, Carnival continues to be many a child’s first introduction to live orchestral performance. Prelutsky, the 2006 American Children’s Poet Laureate, has created a suite of lively, appealing poems that combine perfectly with inventive musical impressions of such animals as a lion, elephants, a tortoise and a swan. GrandPré employs a vibrant hibiscus flower–toned palette in her whimsical interpretations of the animals featured. The CD prepared especially to accompany the book is a knockout. Both music and poetry come alive in the poet’s telling and a world-class performance by the prestigious Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn. Their interpretation is fresh, engaging and exciting. A helpful note on the composer and his piece rounds out a fine package— it’s an irresistible poetic and musical experience for youngsters. (Picture book/poetry. 6-12)