Songs in the Shade of the Cashew and Coconut Trees

Songs about children playing in the schoolyard, sisters braiding each other’s hair at the beach and parents dancing late into the night mesh together, thanks to the music. A wide array of styles—nursery rhymes from Gabon, lullabies from Cape Verde and rumbas from the Congo—are performed in more than a dozen languages. Lyrics appear in their original language and in English, along with notes on culture, a world map, and a code for song downloads and print-outs. Illustrations.