Amazing!

PreS-Gr 2—This fourth album by singer/songwriter/music educator Buchanan features a dozen original songs inspired by favorite stories, science, and nature. Most were penned by Buchanan, except the title song, "Amazing!," which was cowritten with Gordon MacFarland and celebrates imagination and creativity. Half of the songs on the album are credited on her website as "cowritten" by children from various schools, including "T-Rex" (an upbeat tune about that favorite dinosaur), "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," "The Dot," and "The Tortoise and the Hare" (all inspired by stories or children's books). Among the other standouts are "No Fire, Dragon!" (which promotes the theme of playing nicely together) and "H2O" (a folksy call-and-response song about water). Buchanan's pleasing voice blends well with MacFarland's harmonies on "Winter Song." Musical accompaniment is spare and not overproduced. Several different musical styles are found on the disc, although most are folksy and laid-back in nature.