KOREAN FOLK SONGS

This book-and-CD combination showcases 14 traditional Korean folk songs that are “engraved in the hearts and minds of all Koreans.”

With cultural notes that illustrate the significance of each song, the selections provide readers with details of Korean history, culture and language. The songs chosen represent a wide array of styles and audiences from “Clap, Clap, Clap!” (in effect, a Korean “Pat-a-Cake”) to “Arirang” (roughly equivalent to “Home on the Range”). Some songs are appropriate for infants, others for school-age children. The content of the songs that became popular during the occupation of Korea takes on special significance, as sad tunes were prohibited, resulting in up-tempo children’s songs yearning for missing brothers or freedom from oppression. Were they a Korean form of the blues? Each song is captured in a double-page spread, providing a musical score with the language translation repeated three times: first in Hangul script, then in Romanized, phonetic Korean, and finally in English. The audio CD contains a double recording of all the songs, allowing listeners to sing along with the Korean singer or alone, karaoke style. The watercolor illustrations vary in mood but tend toward the mournful.

A good book for a diverse world, especially for Korean-Americans who want to learn about their heritage or English speakers hoping to learn basic Korean language skills.