 |
|
Sleeve Notes
A Note to Parents: Here is the wonderful story of food — a subject of eternal fascination to children (and grownups, too!). Charlotte, who holds forth as narrator and Queen of the Kitchen in this recording, has a wealth of anecdotes, facts, tips and songs about good things to eat. She explains where most of our food comes from, and tells us much about such things as how cheese is made, how bees produce honey, and how sandwiches came to be invented.
Charlotte is also interested in the utensils we use at the table. She has some fine tales about table manners in bygone days, and the way our ancestors arrived at the idea of forks and spoons! Best of all, she has songs to illustrate her subject that will set everyone's toes to tapping. Charlotte — that is, Fiona Jamieson — sings many of these fine melodies herself as she bustles about in her well-equipped kitchen, preparing stews, pies and desserts. Peanuts and roast beef vie for our attention; Charlotte has songs about both. We hear about "Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley" and discover that "The Farmer is the Man Who Feeds Us All." The Shortnin' Bread classic may be found here, together with the one about the Muffin Man. Charlotte knows, too, about Curly Locks, the lucky girl who got to eat strawberries, sugar and cream for dessert; about the legendary Big Rock Candy Mountain; about picking potatoes in the paw-paw patch, and about making sugar and molasses for Liza Jane.
There are other lively songs about baking, cooking and eating food of all sorts. "Green Corn" is an authentic American folksong you'll never forget after you've heard it here, and equally memorable is Miss Jamieson's haunting performance of "Raisins and Almonds," an old lullabye. For children of all ages, "Let's Learn about Food" is an exciting introduction to the facts behind the good things they get to eat every day. It helps them appreciate what nature's bounty and man's art contrive to set before us at the dinner table.
The mainstay of this production, Fiona Jamieson, is a young actress and singing star from Lexington, Kentucky, who has made many recordings, broadcasts and appearances on stage and television. Like Charlotte and many of her friends, Miss Jamieson is herself an ardent and accomplished cook who loves to work around the kitchen. Among the other voices heard in this production are those of Alex Campbell, one of the leading folksingers of our day, of the balladeer Joe Locker, and of the distinguished baritone, Robert Douglas. The material was written by children's author Paul R. Krause in collaboration with the writing-and-music team of Mary Tobias and Irving Miller.