from Common Sense Review
Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood — aka Trout Fishing in America — deliver 14 original songs about both everyday life concerns (a hole in your favorite jeans, nasty alarm clocks, the importance of good manners, the history and horrors of spinach) and big, important concepts (Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s contributions to the world, embracing individuality and personal differences). There’s also a fantastical romp with a tiger and a monkey, life lessons learned while training a puppy, and a cautionary rockabilly tale about rumors and gossip.
All of the songs are performed with taste, integrity, and humor in the duo’s signature soulful style. Idlet and Grimwood dusky, comfortable voices and bluesy instrumental accompaniment are easy to hear and understand without ever talking down — musically or lyrically — to children of any age. As a result, BIG ROUND WORLD is one of those albums that parents might find themselves listening to even when there are no kids in the car.
For more terrific, funny music written solidly from a kid’s point of view, check out TFIA’s own My Best Day.
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the 14 songs on this CD address a wide variety of topics of interest to younger school-aged kids. Real-life moments both large and small — from Rosa Parks’ bus ride to ripping a hole in your favorite jeans — are fair game in these clever, well-performed songs.
Families can talk about the topics raised in the song ‘Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.’ Kids: What do you know about these two heroes of the Civil Rights movement? How could you find out more? How do you think the world would be different if they hadn’t done what they did? What can you do to make the world a better place for everyone?
