Audio of the Week--Little Pink Fish: Musical Adventures with Elizabeth Falconer, Vol. 5
B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Memorial Library, Sag Harbor, NY -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2005
1 CD. 58:23 min. Koto World www.kotoworld.com. 2005. $20.
PreS-Gr 4–Storyteller Elizabeth Falconer incorporates Japanese instruments and language into her tales. The four stories here, approximately 15-minutes each, feature Falconer playing the koto, a Japanese 13-stringed instrument, in the background as emphasis, indication of action, or to provide the melody of songs within the story. "Little Pink Fish" is an original tale by Falconer about a fish who learns to go to the "tide-brary" to learn about his multiple interests. "Crab and Monkey" is a traditional Japanese folktale about industrious, kind Crab and playful, silly Monkey. After Crab pinches off Monkey's tail for being terribly greedy, he learns to share. A chorus of children sings in both English and Spanish. "Kintaro" is based on the Japanese legend of the little boy so strong that he can't be beaten in a wrestling match. Falconer uses Japanese sound effects to bring more authenticity to the humorous tale in which Kintaro finally makes a great friend to whom he no longer has to prove his strength. "Atabichi, the Hoppositional Frog" is adapted from an Okinawan folktale. Words in the sentences are out of normal English sequence, perhaps in a literal translation from the Japanese, and the tale requires a lot of concentration on the part of listeners. In this morality tale, Atabichi is outsmarted by his mother, finally learning to obey his parents because their lessons will stay with him throughout his life. Falconer plays the sanshin, a three-stringed lute, to accompany this story. Falconer's previous recordings have won a number of awards for the integration of the Japanese elements, the music, and her soothing storytelling voice. Youngsters will enjoy these fun-filled stories.
