Carnival of the Animals: Poems Inspired by Saint-Saëns’ Music
edited by Judith Chernaik; illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
reviewed by Deb Clark
In my favorite mom-fantasy, I take my kids to an art museum – perhaps the Getty or the Norton Simon – and we spend an enjoyable afternoon taking in the beauty and wonder of the works on display. This dream remains unfulfilled because I know what my 4-year-old and toddler would really do the moment we set foot in the door – whine, complain and spiral into total breakdown until I agree to leave immediately and take them to Chuck E. Cheese.
I was reminded of my museum fantasy when I read this book of poems inspired by 19th-century composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ orchestral work, Carnival of the Animals. Different poets contributed poems for each of 14 movements (I thought this a daring feat given that Ogden Nash already had done it quite famously until a search of Amazon.com revealed the glut of poetry and prose inspired by Saint-Saëns’ piece).
The style of the poems – and their accessibility to young children – vary with the poet. All are short and feature animals engaged in some type of action, as in Cherniak’s contribution:
Tortoise
Under the mottled shell of the old tortoise
beats the heart of a young dancer.She dreams of twirling on tabletops,
turning cartwheels,
kicking up her heels at the Carnival ball.“Oh, who will kiss my cold and wrinkled lips,
and set my dreaming spirit free?”
Watercolor illustrations match the tone of each poem, some radiant with vibrant colors and movement – the tortoises appear to be boogying down on the tables of some wild, turtle disco – while others use few hues and exude a tranquil stillness. A CD features a reading of each poem followed by the accompanying musical passage.
It’s the kind of book I wish my kids would embrace. I love that it introduces them to poetry, to music, to the beauty of well-chosen words. For that I hope to read it to them over and over. And I will try not to be disappointed when they instead clamor for yet another recitation of 5-Minute Princess Stories.
Rating: *\*\*\
Comments