Really Rosie

SOOO many memories. This is actually "before my time" since I'm a child of the 80's, but my mother got me the record, and singing Alligators all around (and Pierre, and Chicken Soup and Rice, and One was Johnny, and pretty much everything on this album!) was all part of my childhood experience. I stumbled across the CD on amazon.com, and started talking about it to my boyfriend, who surprised me with the CD. LOVED IT! Cant wait to share it with my own kids one day. If this is a lovely reminder of your childhood, as it is for mine, I would definitely recommend picking up a copy of the CD--after all, you're in it for the songs, not the images (although those don't hurt, and I suppose brainwashing the next generation to really appreciate Really Rosie may require some visual stimuli).

Much to my surprise, this show (along with other Maurice Sendak works) is finally available on DVD; the two stories I enjoyed the most were "Pierre" and "Chicken Soup with Rice." I cannot honestly comment on the others in the show ("Alligators ALl Around" and "One was Johnny"). Carole King's whimsical songs are still very singable and are just a lot of fun!

I recall being caught up with the music from this when I was in 1st grade; my teacher had a tape and I listened to it incessantly, singing along...with headphones on! :) My parents liked hearing about that one..but I digress.

The animation for the show is a bit stilted (no worse than any Anime' I've seen!), but the stories and the encouragement for kids to use their IMAGINATIONS is certainly welcomed! Of course, with "Pierre" you get the obligatory message ("CARE!!")and that's fine. The story is told with so much whimsy and frivolity that the moral is kind of a surprise reminder by the end!

Once again, if the video of this is not for you, then at least check out the songs or the books individually. They are worthwhile on their own. Imagine my surprise when I grew up from 1st grade and found out that Carole King was famous for songs OTHER than those from "Really Rosie"! What a cool surprise.

Why hasn't this come out on DVD? I would love to play this for the kids in my life.

Do you know how many times I've said I Don't Care over the years? Or rather sang? Too many to count. The music in this is fantastic and Carole King really did a be wonderful job writing it and performing it. It is is so nice to see something so innocent, it's not about social causes or programming children or of my their innocence, quite the opposite, it's just about good morals and teaching things like the abcs. Some people could learn a lesson from "Pierre" or "Screams and Yells".

Growing up, I am watched this so much it drove my brother's crazy. My mom rented it from the library for me and I would watch it several times a day when I was 4 or 5. I was just really into it. No the animation isn't mind-blowing, but it's cute and it's fun. The story is thin, but fun, it's really a vehicle for teaching basic life lessons and preschool level stuff.

I would happily let my kids watch this, and stuff just isn't this innocent. I'm not a huge fan of most stuff made for children, but this is one that stands the test of time in terms of children's media. It's not intended for adults, so even though I still in enjoy the songs, I think it's only fair to taste it based on how much I loved it as a child, and that was more than any other show.

When the writer/singer of "I Feel the Earth Move" teams up with the author of "Where the Wild Things Are", you know you're in for something good. And "Really Rosie" is just that. Carole King had written a number of songs for other performers, having sung only a few personally, but this is one of her high points. She provides the voice of a woman who fancies herself a star and sings songs about it to the children in her Brooklyn neighborhood. Each character has a song, in fact.

I first learned of "Really Rosie" when I was in fifth grade and my class was putting on a production of it. We listened to the songs on the soundtrack - side 2 had some songs that weren't in the special - but changed one of the lines in "Alligators All Around" to avoid racially insensitive lyrics. We watched the movie, but only got about two thirds of the way through. My task in the production was operating the flood light, but I was having braces put in the day of the performance, so naturally I was in no condition to operate any machinery. I later watched the class's production on the video that they made of it.

The main point is that "Really Rosie" is one of the greatest animated TV specials ever. A fine achievement for both Carole King and Maurice Sendak. And remember, always care!

I still have my original vinyl copy of the album which I played nearly to death as a child. Thankfully it has been remastered on CD and there are used copies of the video out there.

If you missed it as a child, it's not too late.