Korean Folk Songs --Book with CD Review

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Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of these products free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.
 
Today we are continuing our Korean exploration. We explored Korea a bit with Around the World in 12 Dishes last year and with Kongi and Potgi: A Korean Cinderella. I am finding that although Hazel has an excellent memory in many ways, she does not always remember what we have done or learned. I know repetition is needed for this, so we are revisiting Korea. To kick it off again we are reviewing a wonderful book that comes with a CD. It is Korean Folk Songs by Rober Sang-Ung Choi and Samee Back. It is being released on October 14, 2014. Tuttle Publishing was kind enough to send me a review copy. 

Now one of the things I love about this book is the little introduction to each song. The introductions teach a bit about Korea and what life is and was like there through the songs. We learn about the Korean's love of nature and their natural heritage. We also hear a bit about the wars, occupation and life during those. For example there is a sad song, "Thinking of Older Brother," or "Obba Saenggak," that has sad words but a very happy tune since the Japanese prohibited negative or depressings songs during their occupation. The words are about wondering what happened to a girl's older brother went to buy her shoes but never returned. 

 

"Kikyo 06c1340sc". Licensed under 
CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

There is another song called "Doraji". Doraji is the Korean word for Chinese Bellflower (pictured above). It grows in the mountainous areas of Asia and its roots have medicinal properties. In Korea the root is also eaten in salads and soups. 

I highly recommend this book to explore the music of Korea and to learn more about the land and people of Korea. It is a perfect introduction to this culture. To see some of the pages and hear some parts of the songs check out the video above.




 For more posts about Korea check out:

• Global Culture
• Korean Doll She is pictured to the right.
• Kongi and Potgi: A Korean Cinderella
• Chap ch'ae
• Lunar New Year
• Asian Crafts
• Asian Pacific Islander Book Round-Up
• Asian Kites (another great Tuttle Publishing book)
• My Multicultural Resources Pinterest Board