Search - Danny Glover, Ladysmith Black Mambazo :: How the Leopard Got His Spots

Children unfamiliar with Ladysmith Black Mambazo's a cappella harmonies (from Gift of the Tortoise and their other fabulous CDs) are in for a sonic treat with this adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's How the Leopard Got His Spots. This Rabbit Ears production details the friendship of a leopard and a character simply called the Ethiopian. From the yellow wash of Africa's plains to the animal's necessary migration to forest land, the tale follows the confusion and ensuing acclimatization of being relocated from one's homeland. Specifically, as the tale goes, the leopards' coat changes to provide camouflage in the "blotchy" forest, which explains the origin of their spots. Actor Danny Glover is simply splendid--gently humorous and wholly engaging--as the narrator of Kipling's story; his deep, warm voice takes on the slightly flattened and stretched accent of eastern Africa. In concert with South Africa's most famous singers, Glover crafts a beautiful and entertaining aural painting. --Paige La Grone