Lessons From Out of Africa
Video
Children’s Stories From Africa, Volume 1. Monterey Home Video. 26 minutes. $12.95. Ages 3 and up. (800) 424-2593. A thieving bushpig leads an unwily wart hog astray, a little boy outsmarts a wicked crocodile, a hare teaches a bullying baboon a painful lesson and “The Greedy Spider” knows why spiders have such teeny, tiny “waists.” African storyteller Nandi Nyembe brings these comic fables to life, her exuberant tale-spinning complemented by traditional musical instruments, colorful illustrations and a host of delightful little dancers from the Mahlatsi Pre-School. Also available: Volumes 2 to 4.
“Fairy Tales on Ice: Sleeping Beauty.” Polygram Video, $19.95. 75 minutes. Olympics winding down and you can’t get enough ice dancing? Don’t miss this gorgeous, unusually graceful ice spectacular performed by the St. Petersburg Ice Ballet, with Tchaikovsky, not Disney, as its inspiration. World-class skaters, dressed in lavish, colorful costumes, play against beautiful sets, combining classical ballet with figure skating skills to tell the familiar tale of Princess Aurora, from her birth to her sumptuous grand wedding. Even Puss in Boots and Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf are in attendance. Former world pairs champion Tai Babilonia narrates. It’s a splendid follow-up to the pleasing first “Fairy Tales on Ice” release: “Alice Through the Looking Glass.”
Audio
A Child’s Celebration of Lullaby. Music for Little People. CD: $15.98; cassette: $9.98. (800) 346-4445. Little ones and their favorite adults can cuddle up and drift off to dreamland with this caressing, well-chosen collection of gentle melodies and vocals performed by artists as varied as Lena Horne (Gershwin’s “Summertime”) and Jerry Garcia (“Shenandoah Lullaby,” with David Grisman). A sampling of other selections: Raffi’s quiet “Morningtown Ride,” the Roches’ dreamy “Good Night,” Taj Mahal’s breathtaking “Little Brown Dog,” Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson performing Gershwin’s exquisite “Lullaby” and Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s soothing rhythms in “Be Still My Child.”
Born to Sing, Too: 20 More Mother Goose Parodies. Kid Rhino/Warner Bros. CD: $9.98; cassette: $5.98. Traditional folk and kids’ songs get the ‘toon treatment in this collection taking its inspiration from Warner Bros.’ “Baby Looney Tunes” characters--infant versions of Taz, Daffy, Bugs and the rest of the gang. Raffi’s anthem “Down by the Bay” becomes “Down by the Cage”; it’s not “If You’re Happy,” it’s “If You’re Looney”; “Looby Loo” becomes “Looney Loo”; and, well, you get the idea. Bouncy, rowdy, slickly produced and strictly for fans.