Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Book Nook: The Hummingbird Sings and Dances


The Secret Mountain, an international publisher based in Montreal, known for high quality award-winning picture books with music, releases a new book-CD combo featuring 19 time-tested traditional nursery rhymes and lullabies in Spanish originating from 17 Latin American countries. Noted Mexico City-based Grupo Cántaro perform the songs with a variety of engaging rhythms and melodies, with topics ranging from singing hummingbirds visiting distant lands and lost little roosters in faraway countries to tasty regional foods like arroz con leche (rice with milk) and arepas (corn flatbread). Also included are the classic lullabies “Duerme negrito” from Cuba and “A la rorro niño” from Mexico, that will simply waft young listeners off to dreamland.

The 64-page hardcover picture book includes warm, colorful illustrations by Mariana Ruiz Johnson with earth-toned backgrounds that provide the setting for this endearing repertoire of family-friendly songs. Solid musicianship supporting lively vocal performances transport the young listener into a playful, fanciful world inhabited by singing frogs and dancing skeletons! A map of Latin America and complete lyrics in Spanish with English translations appear at the end of the book, making this an excellent language learning resource.
The Secret Mountain is celebrating 18 years of publishing music-forward children’s storybooks, with a full catalog of picture books, enhanced e-books, and digital music available.

About the illustrator
Mariana Ruiz Johnson studied fine studied fine arts and illustrations in Argentina. She has published several books for children as an author and illustrator in Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States. In 2013 she received the Picture Book Compostela Prize for the Spanish publication of Mama and, in 2015, she won the international competition “Silent Book Contest” at the prestigious Bologna Children’s Book Fair with her book Sleep Tight.


About the performers
Grupo Cántaro is a Mexican musical-vocal ensemble founded in 1979 that is dedicated to composing, arranging and performing songs for children. They have released seven albums, the most recent one being Fabulas de Mi Granja (“Fables from My Farm”).

See Grupo Cantaro perform live in NYC! The ensemble will perform selections from The Hummingbird Sings and Dances  at the Brooklyn Book Festival's Children's Day on September 15.

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