Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project - Hardcover

DAWSON, Kate & Jodi Glucksman. Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project to Benefit Cancer Research. 48p. illus. w/CD. Easton Studio Press. 2012. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-935212-70-6. Gr 3-8--Seventeen previously unrecorded lullabies are included in this book that benefits breast cancer research. In the foreword, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton write, "a lullaby is an offering of love," and this project, with its approximately 100 contributors, represents a whole lotta love. Dawson and Glucksman have assembled notable composers and lyricists, singers and musicians, as well as illustrators to work on each song--Jules Feiffer, Barry Moser, Melissa Sweet, Jon Muth, and Marc Simont are some of the stellar artists. The contributors' notes make for exciting reading. Lullabies of many varieties and hues include "It Takes All Kinds" by Stephen Sondheim; "It takes bimbos,/It takes dumbos/It takes rambos/And Columbos" is sung with a poignant earnestness by Dana Ivey and Walter Charles. A few are heart-wrenching, such as a song for a baby surrounded by tubing and wires, wearing "the tiniest onesie of them all" (music by Wayne Barker; lyrics by BD Wong). Feel-good songs include Michael La Chuiusa's meditation on parenthood: "How much love can a heart hold/Before it fills and overflows" and the classic "The Man Who Invented Ice Cream." This collection is perfect for a shower, as an elementary classroom read or listen, or as a gift of comfort and love.--Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA --School Library Journal

An extraordinary collection of lullabyes written by leading Broadway composers, performed by Broadway singers on a CD bound into the book, the book is beautifully illustrated by a combination of well known book illustrators and Broadway designers whose work perfectly matches the warm and sensitive lullabyes composed specifically for this project. Kate Dawson is a writer, singer and actor with a background in musical theater. Jodi Glucksman is a producer, dramaturge, playwright and educator with experience in the music industry. Together they have assembled musical theatre composers, singers and designers as well as children's book illustrators, to donate their talents for a collection of previously unrecorded lullabies, accompanied by a book that pairs each song with original art by one of these award-winning artists. Inspired by the personal experience of losing loved ones to breast cancer, in tribute to survivors, and with hope for generations to come, they are contributing ALL proceeds from this endeavor to charities devoted to the search for a cure for breast cancer along with support and education for those who are suffering. Some of the many great talents involved with this project include: Composers: Scott Alan, Rupert Holmes, Tom Kitt, Henry Krieger with Bill Russell, Bobby Lopez with Kristen Anderson Lopez, Jill Santoriello with John Patrick Shanley, Stephen Schwartz, David Shire, and Nona Hendryx with Marva Hicks and Charles Randolph-Wright. Performers: Anastasia Barzee, Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Raul Esparza, Sutton Foster, Brian D'Arcy James, Rebecca Luker, Kelli O'Hara, Donna Murphy, Anika Noni Rose and Vanessa Williams. Illustrators: R. Gregory Christie, Richard Egileski, Betsy Lewin, Anna Louizos, Marc Simont, Neil Waldman, Tony Walton, and Paul O. Zelinsky. And many others...The CD is produced by Grammy-nominated Matt Pierson (Joshua Redman, k.d. lang, Jane Monheit, many more).