BEE'S BUNDLE
(BOOKS/SONGS)

This story was the inspiration for the first song on the album.  I remember feeling a very close connection with Little Thumbelina's journey.  When I shared that with Steve, he responded with what became the first line of the song "For Thumbelina." Listen for the voices of all the different creatures joining the fairy parade, near the end of the song.

"Once A Cow Has Danced" was inspired by a story told by Mary Poppins herself.  I remember feeling like I was sitting inside the story with Jane and Michael, hanging on her every word.  There's a line in our song that references a sad clown character from 17th century Italian theatre.  And speaking of clowns, there's actually a white mask with a single black tear, perched on top of a bookcase in my office.  It hails from Venice, Italy - and spooks a guest from time to time.

"While You're Away" was inspired by The Railway Children, written by Edith Nesbit (1906).  Can you feel the chugging of the train engine in the rhythms of the song?  Listen for the musical "train whistles" at the end.

"The Elephant Dance" was inspired by a story called "Toomai of the Elephants" (1893), found in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.  I love the brushes our drummer used to mimic the sound of jungle grasses brushing against the elephants as they hurry to the dance.

"Rattle Down" was inspired by some delightful characters in the book Black Beauty, written by Anna Sewell (1877).  We love the kind cabby named "Jerry," which happens to be my Dad's name.  My Dad Jerry passed away in 2021;  but he did get to hear this song and make some very helpful suggestions.  So each time we listen, we tip our cap to Jerry - and Jerry.

"The Lion Loves You" was inspired by The Silver Chair, written by C.S. Lewis (1953).  Listen for the "splat" of the snowball, which means the Great Snow Dance must begin all over again!

"My Mountain" was inspired by Heidi, written by Johanna Spyri (1881).  The musical direction we gave to our fiddle player was literally, "We need you to be a mountain goat" - and Jason Barie of The Radio Ramblers was PERFECT!  Listen to how his magic fiddle helps to tell the story!

"Feet On the Ground" was inspired by George MacDonald's wonderful fairy tale The Light Princess (1864).  In the story, there's a curse that causes the lake - the "playground" of the Princess - to drain.  And in the song, with each hit of the djembe, you can feel the sadness of the lake going down, down, down.  (But don't despair!  It doesn't end there!)

I'm sure you've noticed how each of these classics has been reprinted with different illustrators and publishers through the years.  And when collecting old books, this makes it very difficult to pick a FAVORITE COPY!  In some instances, They're ALL my favorites;-)