A Little Peace & Quiet

Notes & Reading Guide

 

A Little Peace & Quiet is a collection of song created for resting and relaxing; be it in your room, in the car or in your own special place.  As our world seems to grow and move at a faster pace, it   becomes more important to take some time for quiet observation, and to enjoy a “little peace and quiet”.

 

            Since a lot of my inspiration comes from reading books, I’d like to include some suggestions for books that you might enjoy reading.  These books were enthusiastically recommended by my friends, Lil Potter, Wendy Carol and all the folks at Northshire Bookstore, Manchester, Vermont.  (You will have to be sure to stop in for a visit when you are in their area.)

 

A Little Peace & Quiet

 

Your Own Best Secret Place –Byrd Baylor.  1991.  Macmillan.

Midnight Farm  - Reeve Lindbergh.  1987. Dial.

Night In The Country  -Cynthia Rylant.  1991. Macmillan

Play With Me   - Marie Hall Ets.  1955.  Penguin

A House Is A House For Me - Mary Ann Hoberman.  1978.  Penguin

 

Butterflies Fly

 

            Has a butterfly ever briefly landed on your hand?  I can remember searching the fields in Windham with my children, looking for a monarch chrysalis in the fields of milkweed just outside our home.  After locating a large jar and poking plenty of air holes in the lid, we would place the chrysalis inside and then bring the jar into the house.  Each day we watched the chrysalis.  And then suddenly, one day, a beautiful monarch butterfly appeared ready for flight.  It began to lightly beat its wings.  We unscrewed the lid from the jar and brought it outdoors.  The butterfly began to sense the breeze and beat its wings faster.  Then, up and away it flew into the air.  What a magnificent feeling of freedom, the lightness and delicacy of a butterfly in flight.

 

            I wish to pay tribute to Mary Gannoway, a music teacher at the Sanford Middle School in Sanford, Maine for the many years that she has made my music come alive in the hearts of children as well as for encouraging me to write a song about butterflies.

 

I Wonder Where Butterflies Go In Winter - Molly Marr. 1992.  Western Pub. Golden

Where Butterflies Grow - Joanne Ryder. 1989. Loedstar Books.

Monarch Butterfly - Gail Gibbons.  1989.  Holiday.

Discovering Butterfles – Doug Florian.  1990. Macmillan.

 

 

 

Sharing A Hug And A Squeeze

 

            Sometimes giving a hug to someone we deeply care about can mean so much especially when the hug feels good not only to the person giving it but also to the one receiving it.  What a meaningful way to let someone know that they are special.

 

A Book Of Hugs – Dave Ross.  1991. Harper Collins.

Duncan And Delores – Barbara Samuels. 1989. Macmillan.

Ask Mr. Bear – Marjorie Flack. 1971.  Macmillan.

On Mother’s Lap – Ann Herbert Scott. 1992. Houghton Mifflin.

Sloppy Kisses  - Elizabeth Winthrop. 1990. Macmillan.

 

The Loon And The Boy

 

            I wish to express my deep gratitude and appreciation to Ann Lamb from the Maine Audubon Society and to all the people who strive to protect and preserve the habitat so vital to loons. I began writing this song after a most inspiring day at the 2nd Annual Maine Loon Festival in 1986.  As you listen, imagine as I do, a lake as smooth as glass with the evening mist rising, as a loon and a boy respond to one another.

 

Great Northern Diver – Barbara Esbensen. 1990. Little Brown.

Summer Of The Swans – Betsy Byars.  1981.  Puffin Books.

Trumpet Of The Swans – E. B. White.  1973.  Harper Collins.

Were You A Wild Duck, Where Would You Go? – George Mendoza. 1990. Streartt,             Tabori & Chang.

 

 

 

When I Climb The Tallest Tree

 

            Have you ever climbed a tree or a mountain to get a view of the area?  In Maine, where I live, there are beautiful mountains to hike and some tall trees to climb.  When I reach the top, I am always in awe of the majesty and panorama of the view.  Everything seems so small below me and I am totally amazed by the beauty of our world.

 

The Tree – Naomi Russell. Dutton.

The Grandpa Tree – Mike Donahue. Roberts Rhinehart.

The Great Kapok Tree – Lynne Cherry. 1990. Harcourt Brace

A Tree Is Nice – Janice Udry. 1987. Harper.

Trees – Henry Behm. Henry Holt.

 

Sandcastle

 

            As a child, I remember spending hours beside the sea building castles with high walls.  I would search the beach for things I could use to shape the sand as well as for objects like shells and feathers that I could incorporate into my castle design.  The hours would fly by and before I knew it, the sea was “at my door”.  It was only a short period of time before my castle was washed out to sea.  But I came back to build other castles and I continue to return.

 

Not the Piano, Mrs. Medley – Evan Levine. 1991. Orchard Books.

Sand Cake – Frank Asch.  1990. Sunny Day Books.

Beach Ball – Peter Sis. 1990. Greenwillow.

 

Mr. Man In The Moon

 

            How exciting it was to receive this beautiful poem from Sara Beth Minott from Brewer, Maine.  She wrote it when she was eight years old.  I happened to be glancing at it several months later and decided to take out my guitar.  As I began playing around, the melody seemed to spring from somewhere inside and reflect the spirit behind the lyrics so well.

 

Happy Birthday Moon – Frank Asch. 1988.  Simon & Schuster

Moongame – Frank Asch. 1987.  Simon & Schuster.

Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me – Eric Carle.  1991.  Picture Bk. Studios.

Grandfather Twilight – Barbara Berger. 1986.  Putnam.

Baby’s Boat  - Jean Titherington.  1992.  William Morrow & Co.

Nightgown Of The Sullen Moon – Nancy Willard.  1987.  Harcourt Brace

The Moon – Robert Louis Stevenson.  1986.  Harper.

 

I’m Not Afraid Of The Dark

 

            Because we can’t see very well in the dark, sometimes we are uncomfortable if we hear a noise or see a shadow that we don’t understand.  Just by turning on a light, those fears quickly disappear.  It’s okay to feel this way, and by learning what those noises and shadows are, we can feel more comfortable with the dark.

 

Can’t You Sleep Little Bear – Martin Waddell.  1992.  Candlewick Press.

The Underbed – Cathryn Hoellwarth. 1990.  Goodbooks.

Knight Who Was Afraid Of The Dark – Barbara Hazen.  1989.  Penguin.

There’s A Monster Under My Bed – James Howe.  1990.  Macmillan

Once When I Was Scared – Helena Pittman.  1988.

 

It’s A Quiet Night

 

            During my teens, I spent each summer working as a kitchen “boy” at Camp Pesquasawasis in Danville, Maine.  During the evening, every sound was so pronounced, and would sometimes resound from miles away, from the banging of a screen door to the calling of a giant bull frog in Worthly Pond.  On those hot, still summer evenings, I vividly remember the whippoorwill calling out across the night sky, the sweet smell of pine needles filling up the summer air and everyone gathered around a campfire at dusk singing “Day is Done”.

 

            It can be so refreshing to take a walk after dark and to listen to the sounds of nature.  It’s amazing to think of all the creatures we share our planet with.  They are all around us.

 

            Try listening to all the sounds you hear on a quiet night; isn’t it fascinating that so much is happening even when it seems so quiet?

 

In The Middle Of The Night – K. Henderson.  1992. Macmillan.

Fireflies – J. Brickloe.  1985.  Macmillan.

Fireflies – Judy Hawes. 1963.  Harper Trophy.

Midnight Farm – Reeve Lindberg.  1987.  Dial Books.

Goodnight, Goodnight – Eve Rice. 1980. Greenwillow.

Night Noises – Mem Fox. 1989.  Harcourt & Brace.

 

Early Morning In Maine  (Instrumental)

 

Sometimes, music without words can paint a picture or remind you of a place where you would like to be.  Here is a simple piano composition that brings to my mind a picture of one of the many typical small towns in my home State of Maine, as the sun comes up and the morning mist disappears and a country town slowly comes to life.