Getting to Know You!: Rodgers and Hammerstein Favorites - Hardcover

Rodgers, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060279257 ISBN 13: 9780060279257

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2002

Synopsis

No two people have done more for the American musical than Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Now, in Getting to Know You!, sixteen of the most popular and treasured songs from this remarkable pair have been gathered together for the first time in an illustrated picture book.

With watercolors by renowned illustrator Rosemary Wells, Getting to Know You! captures the simple joy, the happy celebration, and the sly humor that are at the heart of these timeless lyrics.

Included at the back of the book are the complete lyrics to each of the sixteen songs, along with the melody lines, so children and parents can read, recite, and sing along for hours of happy talks and dozens of beautiful mornings.

About this title

Review:

This curious little picture book sets out to accomplish the odd--but surprisingly worthwhile--task of assembling some classic Rodgers & Hammerstein lyrics into a kid-friendly, sing-along format.

Getting to Know You! samples songs from some of the Broadway duo's better-known musicals (Oklahoma! , Carousel, South Pacific, and The King and I), acting them out with a cast of cute animals playfully illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Max's Bath, etc.). You might need to hit the video store to recall the tune to a few of these (like Oklahoma!'s "Farmer and the Cowman"), but most of the 16 songs--from "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" to "Some Enchanted Evening"--should be memorable enough to get you singing within the first few words. For the rest, Getting to Know You! even includes a staple-bound songbook tucked into the back cover, which includes sheet music and complete lyrics for all the songs.

Given that Rodgers & Hammerstein won countless awards for their musicals (including two Pulitzers and armfuls of Tonys, Grammys, Emmys, and Oscars), maybe it's not so surprising that the lyrics adapt well into any format. If nothing else, it's hard to argue with any book that can get your kid belting out, "I'm gonna wash that man right outa my hair!" (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

About the Author:

Richard Rodgers (composer 1902-1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (librettist/lyricist, 1895-1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most successful partnership in American musical theater. Their first musical, Oklahoma!, was also the first of a new genre, the musical play, blending Rodgers' sophisticated style of musical comedy with Hammerstein's innovations in opera. Oklahoma! was followed by Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, among others. Collectively the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals earned thirty-four Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0060279257
• ISBN 13: 9780060279257
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Wells Rosemary