Jim Copp, Will You Tell Me a Story?: Three Uncommonly Clever Tales - Hardcover

Jim Copp

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152063315 ISBN 13: 9780152063313

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008

Synopsis

Once called "a musical Dr. Seuss," Jim Copp recorded nine children's albums from 1958 to 1971. These critically acclaimed, clever rhyming stories told through song won Jim Copp many passionate lifelong fans.Now, for the first time ever, his most popular characters--Kate Higgins, Miss Goggins and the gorilla, and Martha Matilda O'Toole--hop, stomp, and skip to life on the pages of this book. They're as captivating today as they were back when the New York Times called Jim's work "inspired nonsense." So come take a look, and also have a listen. Jim's offbeat recordings will have everybody--even the most mutinous among us--dancing and singing along.Includes an author's note and a CD that features three of Jim Copp's original recordings. (20080801)

About this title

About the Authors

JIM COPP (1913-1999) is best known for the children's records he wrote, performed, produced, and distributed through his own label, Playhouse Records.

 

LINDSAY duPONT has illustrated everything from children's books to tissue boxes. She lives in New York.

 

JIM COPP (1913-1999) is best known for the children's records he wrote, performed, produced, and distributed through his own label, Playhouse Records.

 

LINDSAY duPONT has illustrated everything from children's books to tissue boxes. She lives in New York.

 

Reviews

Grade 2–4—This collection contains three short stories that were originally recordings by Copp, who died in 1999. The humorous tales, some rhyming, have definite kid appeal. In the first, feisty Kate Higgins refuses to take her medicine and suffers the consequences in the morning. Anyone who has had a mean teacher will appreciate "Miss Goggins and the Gorilla," in which a fourth-grade class is saved from a cruel teacher by a visitor in a gorilla suit. In the last story, forgetful Martha Matilda O'Toole has to keep returning home to get school supplies she's left behind-until her teacher reminds her that it is Sunday. A note at the end explains how Copp used a painstaking overdubbing technique to produce all of the voices and sound effects in his recordings. DuPont's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the quirky stories. In addition, the use of different fonts helps to read the selections with expression, though the illustrations are too small to be used with a large group. Copp's narration on the accompanying CD are a refreshing contrast to the commercialized sound of much of today's children's music. Give this to fans of Shel Silverstein's poems and anticipate requests for more of Copp's recordings (which are still available).—Jackie Partch, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
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Jim Copp made several popular children’s records in the 1950s and 1960s. This book features three of his story songs, along with a CD of the original recordings. The nonsensical songs describe a naughty child, a tyrannical teacher, and a girl who forgets to put on her dress. In book form, these stories are best described with the contradictory phrase “conventional nonsense,” and they are not quite clever or goofy enough to be particularly memorable. DuPont, however, pumps some life into the old chestnuts with her cheerful, childlike illustrations, while the added CD greatly enhances the whole package. In his recordings, Copp used early over-dubbing techniques to create some off-kilter effects that add a needed layer of weirdness to his silly songs. For example, the harshly feminine voice he creates for the insane teacher could have come straight from a Monty Python skit. Compared with the slickness of today’s entertainers for kids, Copp’s efforts seem rather homemade, but this only adds to the appeal of his songs. Grades K-2. --Todd Morning

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152063315
• ISBN 13: 9780152063313
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lindsay DuPont
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 54