Album Notes

Animal Songs for Really Smart Kids is full of information,
humor, and the great musicianship and songcrafting
that characterize David Polansky’s earlier work.
Challenging vocabulary and a tremendous variety of
musical stylings make this a “slam-dunK” for school teachers and parents who want to nuture their kids’ intellectual curiosity.

The publication School Library Journal (May 2011) says the following:
PreS-Gr3 - Veteran performer David Polansky matches musical styles with smart lyrics in this collection of 18 tunes "to educate, amuse, and amaze." Opening with the jazzy "Cats or Dogs," Polansky debates which is the better pet. He moves into a rap/poem about where ants are found in the world, a samba about the unusual animals found in the Amazon (features the vocals of Teresa Inez and Polansky on flugelhorn), a country-flavored song about armadillos, a march about dinosaurs (with a riff from the Twilght Zone), channels Kermit in "Frog", and offers a sea shanty about lobsters. The rest of the songs feature piano/keyboards/synthesizers in Stephen Sondheim-like show tunes as Polansky sings about Bandicoots, Cockroaches, Moose, Mosquitoes, Lizards, Slugs, Naked Mole Rats, and the Walrus. Two broadway-styled numbers ("Koala" and "All is of the Earth") feature soprano Corinne Chase singing lead. These well-produced, humorous tunes have just enough information to capture the attention of youngsters and should find a place in the classroom. Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH