Sing Out Kids’ Safety. Mary Lambert. Kingston, ON: Mary Lambert Productions (682 Summerfield Place, K7M 8A1), 2004. 1 CD, $15.99. Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 4-6. Review by Barb Taylor. *** /4

Children’s entertainer Mary Lambert has come out with a fun, entertaining, slightly preachy CD called, “Sing Out Kid’s Safety.” The CD is a compilation of 16 songs that young children will enjoy singing along with, while parents and teachers can use the CD to reinforce the important safety lessons stressed in each song.

     While I use the word “preachy,” it is keeping in mind that the primary focus of this CD is teaching safety rules. Some of the songs, particularly the first song “Walk It,” stand alone for their entertainment value:

“Walk your friend, walk your dog
Walk your chicken, walk your hog”

     Set to toe-tapping country music with terrific fiddle accompaniment it’s hard to refrain from singing along. It veers from the safety theme of the overall CD but stresses a healthy aspect of life.

     The next song on the CD, “Because it’s Halloween,” follows the tune “Wheels on the Bus”. The lyrics about cackling witches and pumpkins on porches making it a great Halloween song, but “preaching” happens when each verse is followed by a rather ominous melodic strain to which Ms. Lambert reads a Halloween rule.

     A particularly enjoyable song is “Dial 911” done to Rap music. Here is the perfect example of a message being put to song without the message or music seeming “forced” to fit the other genre. The verse gives an example of an emergency followed by the catchy refrain:

“Just pick up a phone and you
Won’t be alone –
Press 9-1-1
Press 9-1-1”

     Nearly all the songs are sung by Ms. Lambert in a pleasant singing voice young children will enjoy. Children, again making this appeal to a younger audience, occasionally join her in her singing.

     This CD would fit well into an early childhood program emphasizing safety.

Recommended.

Calgary, AB’s Barb Taylor is an Early Childhood teacher, freelance writer and fan of children’s music.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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