A charming way to impart a love for learning
This is an original work of striking quality that will stand out in any collection of musical storybooks for young children.
The book's four artists obviously worked together in an impressive partnership to turn out such a delightful work. The contributors are Prapas Chonsaranon, who wrote the text and songs and published the work; Chaiporn Panichrutthiwong, the illustrator; Phanlop Sincharoen, the narrator; and Supatra Indrabhati Korad, who sings the lovely songs on the accompanying CD.
Their efforts show not only their talents in their respective areas, but that they were quite dedicated to the task at hand. The work is elegant in its look and sound. The seamless integration of the various aspects of the work demonstrate that the artists share a common vision and worked diligently to make it be realised.
Creating such a story and soundtrack required a thorough plan and a lot of teamwork. It also required the participation of nursery school children. The recording of the telling of the story and singing by Phanlop and Supatra was done at Pittaya School in Bangkok and the participation of the school's little ones is delightful.
Supatra's superb singing not only enhances the story but is a work of art in itself. The songs are specially composed for, beautifully sung for and clearly articulated to young children. It is rare that we have the simple pleasure of hearing such a beautiful and well-trained voice being applied to the education and entertainment of young children.
In her younger days, Supatra learned guitar and for many years sang on stage under the supervision of Duan Srisa-art and Hucky Eichelmann. She was later trained in music and singing in Kecskemet, Hungary.
As the book also provides readers with a superbly done CD, one only wonders how it can be sold at the price of a normal picture book. Probably much of the work was simply a labour of love.
A well-known intellectual and creative writer, Prapas, who once studied to become an architect, obviously had a good time creating "The Dragon Who Does Not Like to Learn". He succeeded in creating a story that is sure to make children and adults chuckle with delight. Children will surely get a big laugh out of repeating the lines "The dragon does not like to learn. I'm proud and I am the greatest one."
As the story unfolds, it reveals the hardships and triumphs of smaller animals who come to be involved with this legendary dragon who had slept for a thousand years before suddenly waking up. The story show how illiteracy can be hazardous and self-defeating. At the end the mighty but illiterate dragon agrees to behave and go to school to learn. The simply told story imparts an important lesson on how useful learning is. The story is told on a level that is appropriate for young people.
The simple music, often a march, is thoughtfully and professionally expressed. It is easy for children to pick up and follow the rhythm. Phanlop's enthusiastic and well-paced storytelling coupled with Supatra's superb voice makes following the adventure so lively and fun.
Throughout the story, songs are well mixed with text that is read aloud. The book and CD would definitely make a great addition to any collection of stories for children.
The adventure is well thought out. Prapas's seemingly effortlessly flowing words are well matched to Chaiporn's versatile and mature graphics. The illustrations accompany the text beautifully, both when they are sung and/or read aloud. Together the two artists manage to convey the power and the beauty of the dragon, and also the anxiety of its entrapment.
A graduate in visual design and animation from the University of Oregon and awardee of many prizes, Chaiporn's illustrations are of international standard. The only thing visually Thai in his illustration are Thai letters featured on the cover of the book and those on a book that a little monkey shows to the mighty dragon.
Chaiporn's illustrations are given the space they deserve. On double-page spreads they are dramatically and beautifully realised in the publication. There are some playful images to look out for. The artist also makes use of the animals' expression to give a humorous slant to the story. The versions in Thai and English are well-partitioned, with Thai on the top of the page and English at the bottom. The overall layout of texts makes effective use of space. The idea of using double-page spread illustrations is a good one. It is easy to follow in one language or the other.
Different fonts are used to distinguish the three different types of texts. Songs complete with guitar chords come first at the top of the page, followed by the Thai text. The English version is printed in a smaller font and placed at the bottom of the page. There is no telling of the story in English, although there are English versions of the songs
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