Books published by publisher The Secret Mountain

Winner:2016 Parents' Choice Gold AwardA children’s guidebook to the fantastical characters and creatures found in classical musicThe works of Vivaldi, Beethoven, Debussy, and others are introduced to children by demonstrating how water—the sea, rivers, fountains, and rainfall—has inspired the composers. An original and interesting way for younger listeners to discover amazing classical music, this book pairs three centuries of music history with stunning and evocative illustrations. The accompanying CD features 20 excerpts from various recordings performed by world-class luminaries, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, La Scala Chorus and Orchestra, and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. A glossary of musical terms and a short biography of each composer are also included.

Sung in Portuguese, these 30 lullabies and nursery rhymes from Brazil and Portugal invites children on an authentic musical journey exploring the strong cultural ties that bind the two countries. Crossing the Atlantic from Porto to Rio, this musical collection presents the rich common heritage of songs about everyday life, work and play, and courtship and love. The lyrics are presented in Portuguese and translated into English, followed by notes on the origin and cultural context of each song. The accompanying CD features traditional songs that blend samba, modinha, fandango, and bossa nova, and are performed by a group of women, men, and children. The use of several indigenous acoustic instruments further makes this an uplifting, enchanting production that captures the meeting of rich and diverse styles.

Winner of:Parents' Choice Gold Award 2014 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Gold Award A children’s guidebook to the fantastical characters and creatures found in classical music. The works of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and others are introduced to children through the magical beings from legends and classic tales—including gnomes, fairies, witches, goblins, elves, and wizards—that inspired the composers. An original and interesting way for younger listeners to discover classical music, this book pairs three centuries of music history with stunning and evocative illustrations and includes a glossary of musical terms, a short biography of each composer, and a brief presentation of each extraordinary character. The accompanying CD features 20 excerpts from various recordings performed by world-class luminaries, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, La Scala Chorus and Orchestra, and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

This book pairs five centuries of music history with stunning illustrations of fascinating little creatures—insects, arachnids, and amphibians; wasps, butterflies, frogs, and snakes. A glossary of musical terms and a short biography of each composer are included along with a CD (plus a unique code for the digital download) of recordings performed by the likes of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Liverpool Philharmonic, and the Nashville Symphony.

Travel across the seven continents to discover how nature’s best musicians use their voices or their bodies to create a symphony. On the world stage, gibbons love to break into song at sunrise, while humpback whales prefer to perform the same tune for an entire day. Wolves enjoy choir singing before setting off to hunt, and Chinese torrent frogs are excellent at carrying a tune without ever producing two identical notes. Additional information on the characteristics, habitats, and behaviors of these 14 animal virtuosos is included.

Classic recordings from the swing era by Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, and other jazz legends are the centerpiece of this storybook-music CD set. The illustrated story recounts the adventures of a little Brazilian cricket named Zaz who dreams of singing in New York. Zaz hops a ride on a woman’s fruit hat from her homeland to Manhattan, where she meets a savvy fly named Buster who knows all the spots to hear cool music. He takes her to the Swing Café on East 54th Street where they dance the Charleston, the Shimmy, and the Skeedle Loo Doo. Everyone there speaks a common language, called Swing, and Zaz is inspired to take to the stage, sing from the heart, and deliver the performance of a lifetime. The Broadway star Carmen Miranda, who was affectionately nicknamed in Brazil "La Pequena Notavel" (The Remarkable Little Girl), is the primary source of inspiration for this poetic and heartwarming story. Throughout the CD's narration, snippets of classic 1930s jazz songs add a lively rhythm to the story, and an additional seven songs are performed in their entirety by the original artists.

Winner: 2016 Parents' Choice Gold Award 2016 National Association of Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) This book with a CD of irresistible songs offers children the opportunity to discover the different colors of Gasoi's jazz-driven music, a melding of many styles including bluegrass, blues, cajun, calypso, and klezmer. Blue and Red Make Purple is catchy, tuneful, playful, and totally endearing! Notes highlighting the history, instruments and unique characteristics of each musical genre along with listening suggestions accompanying each song.

With whimsical, dream-like illustrations, this book and accompanying audio CD features a selection of timeless jazz standards covering the four seasons. The book includes 13 popular classics recorded by singing legends from the 50s: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, among others. Explanatory notes accompany each featured song in this must-have book for any jazz fans with a young child.

Winner of: 2015 Parents' Choice, Gold Award Timeless tunes for tots This selection of beloved melodies from some of the world’s more revered composers, including Brahms, Schubert, Ravel, and Debussy, will lull babies into a sweet, blissful sleep. Along with the whimsical, dream-like illustrations, the storybook and accompanying CD feature 16 classical lullabies orchestrated for a wind quintet and harp performed by the critically acclaimed L'Ensemble Agora. In addition, a brief commentary accompanies each featured musical work. COMPOSITION / COMPOSER / DURATION: 1. Barcarolle 2.22 Jacques Offenbach2. Après un rêve (After a Dream) 3.08 Gabriel Fauré3. Von Fremden Ländern (Of Foreign Lands) 1.30 Robert Schumann4. La boîte à Joujou (The Toybox) 1.16 Claude Debussy5. Gymnopédie No. 1 3.24 Eric Satie 6. La poupée (The Doll) 2.07 Georges Bizet7. Sändmannchen (The Little Sandman) 2.31 Johannes Brahms8. Wiegenlied (Lullaby) 0.56 Johannes Brahms 9. Solveig's Song 3.16 Edvard Grieg10. Schlafe, mein Prinzchen, schlaf ein (Sleep, My Little Prince, Fall Asleep) 0.48 Bernard Flies11. Ständchen (Serenade) 4.17 Franz Shubert12. Gute nacht (Good Night) 2.48 Franz Shubert13. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant (Sleeping Beauty’s Pavane) 1.46 Maurice Ravel14. Feuillet d’album (Album Leaf) 1.46 Emmanuel Chabrier15. Dors, ami (Sleep, my friend) 0.52 Jules Massenet16. Brezairola (Lullaby) 1.51 Traditional