CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS

The premise for Lithgow's narrative is this: A young boy falls asleep on a school field trip, stays overnight at the Museum of Natural History, and sees friends and family transformed into animals--the animals depicted musically in Camille Saint-Saéns's 1886 composition. Lithgow's romping, rhyming story, replete with wit and wordplay, served as a text for the New York City Ballet's debut of CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS in 2003. This production offers a good way to introduce children to music they might hear but not really listen to; they'll enjoy Lithgow's lively poetry and Boris Kulikov's funny illustrations while taking in Saint-Saéns's musical depictions of the animals (including Elephant, Lion, and Swan). Lithgow has a great time narrating his CARNIVAL, and children will have a great time listening. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]