by Shannon Krone, About.com
Posted 2006

Guide Rating - **5 Stars**

Toucan Jam (Two Can Jam), comprised of Kelly Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna, features a variety of unique and entertaining instruments which produce a sound that ranges from capturing the swing movement of the 1940s to the Appalachian music of the Ozarks. "A World of Music" released in 2006 is a collection of fun songs, amazing stories and ethnic legends that keeps your toes tapping, a smile on your face, and provides moments of reflection on our children's childhood as well as our own.

• "Hey Mom!" - This song captures all the many many questions and out of nowhere comments your typical preschooler repeats day after day. "Hey Mom!" features a ukulele and brushes on a box as well as a fiddle.
• "Didgeridoo Song" - features a didgeridoo, the Australian aboriginal instrument with a unique, low tone sound.
• "Cock-diddly Doo" - an ode to roosters and the annoying job they have: to wake everyone up at the break of dawn.
• "Snowy Fall's Cat" - Bringing a bit of the English countryside music to the CD, this song tells the story of a British man and his cat who raise money for the needy. The children choir "meow" throughout this song which creates an interactive environment, making this song a fun one to tap your knee to.
• "Please Pass the Peace" - Another song that captures the music of the 1940s swing era, the theme in this song is getting along and making friends.both children and adults, with people all over the world. A point is also made that we can learn a lot from each other, no matter where we are from.
• "Abagas" - an Ethiopian legend is the inspiration for this song. The legend is about a man who married a woman who did everything for him, plowed his fields, cooked his meals, took care of him and yet he never thanked her. As a result, the wife started to scream one day and never stopped. Abagas was told to get the hair of a lion to remedy his wife and in order to get that hair, Abagas did many favors for the lion and took care of the lion; much in the way he learned that he should have been caring for his wife. The lesson taught Abagas the value of the words "Thank You".
• "The Oud is Not Food" - the oud is a pear-shaped, stringed instrument, still in use in traditional Middle Eastern music and East African music. This song features the oud and is more about the music than the lyrics, as the lyrics show : "The Oud is not food....the Oud is not food...the Oud is not food, unless you're a termite."
• The Month Song" - this could easily become a favorite in every classroom as the children work to remember the months in the year. There is a definite Ozarks feeling to this song, which is where the duo is from, highlighting the pickin' bow, washtub bass and banjo.
• "Legend of Eldorado" - a song based on a South American legend (also a children's book) about King Eldorado who lost his Queen to a serpent in the water. Although the King wishes to join his Queen underwater, the serpent does not want him, but rather his jewels. So once every year, the King piles jewels into a boat and anoints himself with gold and goes underwater to see his Queen and then spends the rest of the time above water, ruling over his Kingdom, missing his wife. This song features the charango, an instrument made from an armadillo shell.
• "Flower Man" is about a man Toucan Jam met in Houston, Texas during their travels. Flower Man uses "junk" and different types of greenery to decorate his house. You can see his home by googling "flowerman Houston," it's truly something.
• "Little Birdie Nest" - have you ever wondered how a bird makes a nest? This song explains the different things that go into making those nests for various birds. This is a must-listen song for bird lovers of all ages.
• "Black Beauty" - this song celebrates childhood bikes, the names we give them, and the relationship we have with our bike as children and later, as adults when we trade our bikes in for cars so we can go faster and put less work into getting around.
• "Changes" - this song is based on a Native American (Tahono O'odom tribe) legend about how butterflies came into the world and about tolerance. The legend goes like this: butterflies were sacred and during a time of fresh air, clean water and an abundance of food, the butterflies and the people were happy. However, once changes happened that brought pollution, overpopulation and discontent, the butterflies died off. This scared the people as they lost their sacred symbol of life. They sought counsel with the Great Spirit who had seen how their negative changes had affected life and he forced them to work together to bring about a positive change: the reemergence of the butterflies!