Frances England's songs are about issues that children know and care about. The upbeat song, Tricycle, displays a child's excitement about riding their bike through silly lyrics, like "Tour of France in my underpants, chancing Lance." A surprisingly gentle-sounding electric guitar riff in the middle, and the strategic placement of staccato notes encourages singing along; "I love you with all of my mi-i-i-i-nd."Paint a Picture is sung from the perspective of a child excited about drawing 'v-shaped birds, a big square house with big green yard, and a happy family holding hands'. Sometimes covers different feelings and moods a child may have - ranging from being frustrated to feeling like a superhero - and includes some slowed-down yodeling, guaranteed to improve any mood! Digging in the Dirt outlines the process of planting seeds in the garden, waiting for the rain and sunshine, letting the roots grow deep, and finally the "plants come to be beautiful."
Your little one will inevitably sing along with the upbeat numbers, like the 'busy, busy, busy, busy' in Busy as a Bee against an electric slide guitar, or the "Oooo ah, oooooo ah" in the title song. They will learn to spell Daddy-o, imitate England's twittering voice in Blue Canoe,and learn about the different animal instincts in Fascinating Creatures. Does your child know what a sloth does? They will, after listening to this song! Charlie Parker mentions famous singers like Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and John Coldtrain, whom your child will probably ask about, creating an opportunity for you to share some music history with them. You can also try to answer the questions in Where do they go? about where trains, big trucks, airplanes, and big boats are all headed to. Or, perhaps your little one would rather look at his or her favorite books along with England in The Books I Like to Read. As England's voice is more soothing and beautiful than dance-evoking, this is a great album to snuggle up with your child before naptime or bedtime and just spend some quality time bonding with gorgeous lullabies like, Little Bright Star.
My niece, Emily, began listening to this album when she was one year old. Her mother would play it in the afternoon and they would sit on the sofa in the sun for some mommy-baby snuggle time. The sounds would sooth Emily, usually into a sleep, while her mom loved the 'break' and opportunity to relax and read the mail or a magazine while Emily snoozed on her lap.
--Audra
