Music
Press
Redefined, Boston's early American image
By Ellen Steinbaum, Globe Correspondent | May 28, 2006, Boston - Ellen Steinbaum| Boston Globe
.... a remarkable evening and will go down as one of my very favorite nights at the Cafe (maybe the best ever). I loved listening to the stories on the CD but seeing Norah and hearing her tell them in person is another story indeed!
...her Czechoslovakian accent is brilliant. As for Husky, I believed every word he said and Kaleb's Doberman talk was perfect!
She is sensational. ... one great night of storytelling! OCT 2006 - Cornelia Street Curator - Barbara Aliprantis
"...Norah Dooley offers a simple theme of commonality that brings people together.
Boston Globe - Boston Globe
Your presentation to the Mass Bay District UU ministers and religious educators today was somewhere beyond superlative. I've been preaching, teaching,(and preaching & teaching) the value of stories, for 35 years now.
And in that entire time I've never encountered someone who could do what you did: both demonstrate and teach memorable story-telling technique simultaneously. Brava!
John Buehrens
First Parish in Needham, MA
- UU Ministers
Your work and this is no "flarching" as my English Grandmother would say, is stellar. You are without doubt the best storyteller that I have ever
heard and I've heard a lot. We very much hope that you will come back soon.
- School Librarian
The New York Times Book Review, March 31, 1991 p29 col 1 (2 col in)
Everybody Cooks Rice. (book reviews) Review Grade: A
Everybody Brings Noodles. (Children's Books). (book review)
Kirkus Reviews April 1, 2002 v70 i7 p490(1) (238 words)
Everybody Serves Soup. (Review)_(book review) Shelle Rosenfeld.
Booklist Jan 1, 2001 p967 (168 words)
Everybody Serves Soup. (Review)_(book review) L. F..
School Library Journal Oct 2000 v46 i10 p58 Mag.Coll.: 104K2175. (184 words)
Everybody Bakes Bread. (book reviews) Carolyn Jenks.
School Library Journal April 1996 v42 n4 p108(1) Mag.Coll.: 83G1695.
Everybody Bakes Bread. (book reviews) Susan Dove Lempke.
Booklist March 1, 1996 v92 n13 p1187(1) (143 words)
Everybody Cooks Rice. (book reviews) Ruth Semrau.
School Library Journal June 1991 v37 n6 p76(1) Mag.Coll.: 60E1787.
Everybody Cooks Rice. (book reviews) Diane Roback, Richard Donahue.
Publishers Weekly March 1, 1991 v238 n11 p73(1) Mag.Coll.: 59B3308. Bus.Coll.: 56Z0502. (163 words)
- various
Everybody Cooks Rice
Grades K-4-- Carrie travels from one house to another, looking for her brother at dinnertime. Each family invites her in for a taste of what they are cooking; thus, she samples the ethnic diversity of her neighborhood through the rice dishes they prepare. At home, her own Italian family is indulging in risi e bisi . All the recipes are included at the end of the book. Thornton's illustrations have that flat, depth less look of primitive art. Colors are strong and brilliant primaries with very little black shading. The geometric forms displayed in the multi hued houses of the street are especially nice. Yes, everybody cooks rice, and everybody eats rice--these commonalities do bring us together, a lesson worth repeating again and again. --Booklist
"Nifty neighborhood- nifty book"- NY Times Review of Books MAR 31 1991 Listed in The New York Times Parent's Guide
to the Best Books for Children Three Rivers Press (CA); 3rd Rev & Up edition (November 14, 2000)
Everybody Bakes Bread
Grades K-4-In this rainy-day story Carrie is sent out into her multiethnic neighborhood to borrow a three-handled rolling pin. She has a fine time visiting the neighbors, eating seven kinds of bread, and finding enough friends for a kick ball game after the rain stops. She samples coconut bread from Barbados, chapatis from India, corn bread from South Carolina, pocket bread from Lebanon, challah from the Jewish "old country," pupusa from El Salvador, and braided bread from Italy. Recipes are included. Thornton's richly colored, softly realistic illustrations show the diversity of age and nationality, lifestyles, and staple foods of this friendly neighborhood.-Booklist
American Library Association "Pick of the List" in 1997
Everybody Serves Soup Dooley (Everybody Bakes Bread, 1996, etc.) dishes up another premise for Carrie to eat her way around her multicultural neighborhood. Today is a snow day at school and Christmas approaches. Carrie is tapped out after buying gifts for everybody except Mom, who always wants "anything that comes from your heart." She hopes to earn money by shoveling snow. But...recipes pour in along with Mark's mom's corn chowder, Darlene's grand aunt's oxtail soup, and Wendy's mom's miso soup. Recipes, however, don't buy gifts, and at the end of the day Carrie has earned only ten dollars from Dad. That and Mrs. Max's idea are enough to buy Mom's gift—a blank book in which Carrie can write her newfound recipes. Preparing for Hanukkah, Mrs. Max reminds Carrie that "good soup with a friend warms more than the body." The recipes included give readers an opportunity to test that notion in a book more cookery than fiction, more work-a-day than holiday. (Picture book. 5-8) - Booklist
Awarded the Social Studies Honor Book by the Society of School Librarians International in May 2001.
Everybody Brings Noodles
A neighborhood celebrates America's birthday by sharing its ethnic dishes in this latest of the Everybody series (Everybody Serves Soup, 2000, etc.). When Carrie hatches the idea of a block party for the Fourth of July, she has no idea of the work it will involve. On the day of the party, she clutches her list as she crosses off each item.Fortunately for Carrie, all the dishes contain her favorite-noodles....As Carrie moves through the neighborhood, readers can see through her interactions that the young girl is instrumental in bringing the community together. In fact, though she is disappointed not to be taking part in the talent show, she is pleasantly surprised when she is recognized in this capacity by the organizer of the talent show. Dooley's work is a combination of a celebration of the diversity that makes America unique, and a recipe book. Thornton's illustrations are filled with color and life, and feature the people and places found in his own hometown.
"Add it to the menu." --Kirkus Reviews 2002
- NY Times Review of Books
“'Music of Angels' is a fine recording of world folktales given a witty and decidedly Southern Italian twist.”
-Glenn Morrow in The Museletter - Museletter, MAR/APR 2000
"Norah Dooley is an entrancing storyteller."
Bsoton Globe review of Revels - Scott Alaric
Discography
All Produced by Seat of Her Pants Productions and available cdbaby.com
The Music of Angels,1999
Stories Nobody Told Me - Italian Folk tales, 2002
Stories from the Neighborhood, 2002
My Bad Bad Dog and Other Neighbors, 2006
Rabbitails, 2006
Winter Tales, 2006
Photos
Bio
Norah Dooley is a storyteller and children’ s author. Norah’s widely acclaimed picture books, Everybody Cooks Rice, Everybody Bakes Bread, Everybody Serves Soup and Everybody Brings Noodles, (Carolrhoda Books @ lernerbooks.com) are four titles in a series about her former neighborhood in Cambridge, MA Norah Dooley has published 5 storytelling CDs. She appears in schools, libraries and teacher’s conferences.
She has performed as a featured storyteller in the Christmas and Spring Revels in Cambridge and Boston MA, the Cambridge River Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Albany NY River Festival, 3 Apples Storytelling Festival, MA and at the Clearwater Festival.
Norah has been presenting workshops and stories for people of all ages throughout New England and also in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix . She has published 5 spoken word CDs including: Music of Angels (1), Stories Nobody Told Me “Italian” Folk tales (2002) and Stories from the Neighborhood, World Folk tales (2002), Rabbitales (2006) and My Bad,Bad Dog and other Neighbors (2006) www.norahdooley.com
Musicians who play with Norah
Bill McGowan,bass
Boston born and bred, Bill McGowan was inspired to pick-up the bass by the playing of Jack Bruce. Self taught by listening to blues and rockin’ roll records, Bill studied Afro-American music with Archie Shepp and Charles Greenlee. A member of many jazz ensembles directed by Fredrick Tillis, he also studied music theory and composition with Doric Alviani and Robert Stern.
Bill has performed in a variety bands at venues throughout New England including the Berklee Performance Center, Boston and Ryles in Cambridge.
Susan Miron, harp
Susan Miron's love of music and literature resulted in careers as a harpist and a book critic. She performed over a hundred concerts with the Melisande Trio (harp, flute, viola) which included her longtime musical partner, her husband former BSO violist Burton Fine. In addition to two CDs with singers (most recently "A Birthday Hansel" on Chandos Records) and two solo CDs of her transcriptions of harpsichord sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti (Centaur Records), she wrote about 250 books reviews for such publications as The New York Times Book Review and The American Scholar.
Kevin Skorupa,flute
Kevin studied music composition at Berklee College of Music. While still in school he began playing music professionally and has toured schools and public libraries throughout Massachusetts.
In 2000 Kevin moved to western Massachusetts, where he and his wife are very happy to be living and raising their two little boys. He works with Poor Richard's Penny and derives great joy in presenting and performing the music of early America.
Eric Parker, bass
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