Many twentieth century composers wrote music for children, the more prominent examples being Prokofiev (Peter and the Wolf) and Britten (Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra). But the keyboard literature is rich in works of this type as well and from some of the same composers: Prokofiev produced the charming Music for Children, Bartók the collection of folk transcriptions For Children, and Villa-Lobos' colorful Carnaval das criancas brasileiras, commonly translated as "Children's Carnival." The eight pieces in this collection are all tuneful and fairly uncomplicated, but like the Prokofiev and Bartók sets, they can be enjoyed by adults. The first piece here, "The Toy Horse of Little Pierrot," seems to vigorously gallop along, its giddyup rhythmic manner conveying much playfulness despite a fair measure of dissonance. The second, "The Little Devil's Whip," has a childlike glitter in its rapid opening chords and thereafter becomes mischievous in its sense of chasing up and down the keyboard. "The Morning Pierrette" follows, a playful, relatively relaxed piece that turns sassy and innocent by turns. The fourth item, "The Little Bells of Little Domino," delivers the bell-like sounds suggested in the title alright, but often in sonorities that can harass the ear when they ring with a bad boy vehemence from the piano's upper register. The fifth is "The Adventures of the Little Ragpicker," which presents the portrait of a busy, not always neat or patient child, as notes can clumsily tumble down the keyboard with a seemingly deliberate recklessness. The next piece, "Mischievousness of the Masked Darling," brims with impish energy at the outset, but turns sweeter in the playful menace of its upper-register sonorities. The seventh, "The Harmonica of a Precocious Daydreamer," has a dreamy nonchalance in its sometimes wayward manner, the harmonica player seeming at times to haphazardly toss notes about. The concluding piece, "The Revelry of a Group of Children," is a joyous romp, full of color and zest. In the end, these eight works are notable more for their depiction of scenes and moods than for their catchy themes.

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