The First Music
PreSchool-Grade 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, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.