This is a review of my Illustrated Songbook with CD by my friend Anner Marble. She is a poet and writer and lives in Roberts, Montana. I was driving down the highway with three children, ages 4, 7 and 9, seat belted in the back seat. It was December and cold. We were driving the hour into Billings, Montana from our rural home. The kids were laughing and singing these delightful, playful songs I’d never heard before. They were howling like coyotes, singing “Ging giddie ging ging ging gang gong” to a Reggae beat and laughting as they sang about a cow mooing in double time. I asked them were they learned these songs and they said, “They’re Songs You’ve Never Heard Before.” I said i realized I’d never heard them before, but where did they come from? They all cried, “From Amy, Mom! These are Amy’s songs!” And so it was that I was introduced to Amy Langley’s charmed music for children. "Songs You’ve Never Heard Before" is an enchanting combination of different musical styles aimed at children age ten and under. From the sonorous guitar strains of “Ode To A Coyote” to the distinctly French Impressionist piano chords of “Whispering Clouds” to the simple repetitive chant of “One World”, Songs You’ve Never Heard Before offers an accessible variety of music rarely heard in the realm of children’s music. The subjects of the songs are playfully unique and some of them cover topics relevant to today’s world. For example, the song “Give Your Heart” is about accepting differences in others. “He is green and you are blue and he wants to talk to you...” This catchy tune covers a tough subject in a way children are sure to relate to. On the other hand, the delightful “Who Sings The Moo” is simply pure country, foot stompin’ fun. The overall unity of this work creates many options for its use. The CD is professionaly recorded using both electronic and acoustic instruments, and the book contains both lyrics and music. Langley’s colorfully imaginative illustrations enhance the songs with true playfulness. Children will enjoy listening and using the book alone, parents will like singing along with their children, or even sitting at the piano and picking the tunes out, and teachers could also use the book with students. "Songs You’ve Never Heard Before" is a charmed work. The dynamic response of the lucky children who have already heard it, seen it and memorized every word and note affirms the truly special and loving nature of Langley’s latest project. Anner Marble, Poet and Writer Roberts, Montana Amy Langley's Bio: New York born and bred An interesting life I've led Rock and Roll in Hollywood Then lived in the Europehood Back to the States to call the Big Sky home For 9 years, then I would roam Down to the desert just north of the Border of Mexico Where I sometimes go just to hang at the Beach