Christmas music

The Glorious Christmas Songbook


From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up-A compilation of the lyrics for 52 holiday songs, from "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" to "Winter Wonderland." However, in most cases, only a fragment of the music is included. For example, for "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," the music is presented for the words, "You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why"-and then it stops. This is a perplexing and unforgivable failure in an otherwise attractive book. The charming illustrations were culled from books and magazines of the 1800s and early 1900s, and the selection of songs is nicely varied between traditional carols and popular tunes. However, anyone needing the music will want to look elsewhere.-E.M.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Using illustration sources as varied as a seventeenth-century paintingThe Adoration of the Magiturn-of-the-century postcards, and children's magazines, this songbook combines familiar carols with classic images. Much care has been taken with the book's design. The alternating buff and white pages have a rich look. Each double spread features the song lyrics, a few bars of the music (not always enough if you want to play the song), and a piece of art. Among the songs included are such traditional carols as "The First Noel," "Good King Wenceslas," and "O Holy Night" and such popular tunes as "It's Beginning to Look like Christmas," "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," and "Silver Bells." This won't take the place of a book with complete music, but it is an attractive alternative for libraries unable to get enough of Christmas materials. Ilene Cooper