Tom Chapin is a gifted entertainer who charms audiences of all ages. He is one of those natural-born entertainers who, with nothing more than guitar in hand, can totally captivate.
Tom has gained widespread critical and popular acclaim for his kids recordings. Tom and his collaborators John Forster, Michael Mark and Jon Cobert have created a body of songs which are quickly becoming children's classics.
This award-winning album by Tom Chapin is an excellent way to introduce your child to big words and big concepts. The album starts off with an educationally packed song entitled Great Big Words that demonstrates a variety of ways to say all sorts of things using a wider, more sophisticated vocabulary. Chapin's lyrics in this album touch on friendship, winning and losing, and how to deal with the colorful spectrum of human emotion. The music is easy to listen to and fun to sing along with. You may even want to dance. The words and concepts are easy to grasp with a presentation of rhyming and repetition, and Chapin's voice is clear and easy to understand.
Your will likely have opportunities to answer questions about the many fascinating, and important topics of some of the songs. Cameling, and Happy Earth Day are some favorites of mine that touch on planetary awareness as well as traditions from other parts of the world. All of the music is playful and informative. The pace varies between slow and upbeat with a lullaby as the last track. Both you and your child can listen to this music in a variety of settings and enjoy it.
When I played this music for Lucca he absolutely loved it. I was eager to have him listen to Great Big Words to see if he could pick up any new words. He had plenty of questions to ask and together we were able to learn new and improved ways of communicating.
--Kendall
Tom Chapin is a Grammy Award-winning American musician, entertainer, singer-songwriter and storyteller. He has won the following awards: Parents' Choice Award in 1988 for Family Tree; Moonboat was named notable children's recording by the American Library Association in 1980; Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to Humanity and National Association for Campus Activities in 1990; Parents' Choice Award and New York Music Award for best children's album in 1991 for Mother Earth; and a Parents' Choice Award and New York Music Award for best children's album in 1992 for Billy the Squid.
He is best known for his children's music, but he also writes and performs for adults. Chapin's music borrows elements from a vast range of musical influences, from folk singer Pete Seeger to syncopated rhythms of Latin music, blues, country, and classical music.
Chapin graduated from State University of New York at Plattsburgh. From 1971-1976, he hosted a TV show called Make a Wish. He is the son of Jim Chapin and the brother of Harry Chapin. He has appeared in the Broadway production Pump Boys and Dinettes, among others. He is married to Bonnie Chapin; his daughters and stepdaughter are musicians as well (the Chapin Sisters).
1. Great Big Words
4. You'll Be Sorry
5. The Ghost Of Bleak House
6. Cameling
7. Billy The Squid
8. Sore Loser
9. Happy Earth Day
10. The Missing Parade
11. Preacher Herman
12. I Got The Blues, Greens And Reds
13. Bedtime Round
14. City Lullaby