Foo Foo is here! Daisy Nell’s new children’s book, Captain Stan’s Foo Foo Band, is now available and ready for children of all ages

Foo Foo is here! Daisy Nell’s new children’s book, Captain Stan’s Foo Foo Band, is now available and ready for children of all ages. Inside of each book there is a music CD of the Foo Foo song, plus a link to a video of a square dance written by Nell for the Foo Foo crew. The story is, like all of Daisy Nell’s stories, is partly based on genuine local lore coupled with an imaginary scenario. In this, her third book, Captain Stan is looking forward to a musical evening with his mates onboard his schooner when several mishaps cause him to nearly miss his own party. Based on the Gloucester Harbor of today, the term “foo foo” is from the old days of wooden whaling ships when crew from ports around the world worked together, and often played music when it was time to have a little fun. The French word “fou”, meaning foolish, was soon adapted to become “foo foo”, to indicate a band of musicians who would pull together instruments that were fashioned out of whatever was on hand on the ship, plus some real fiddles, banjos or mandolins. In the story Captain Stan likes to use the old term foo foo band, but more than that, he liked to just get together with his crew and play foo foo, belting out the old tunes and dances.

With charming illustrations by George Ulrich of Marblehead, MA, the foo foo band comes to life.  Daisy Nell, herself a musician and maritime folklorist, has crafted the characters in this book from the real members of her band Crabgrass. Those who know Captain Stan and Daisy Nell and their real-life band mates will delight in the way Ulrich has captured their antics. Geoff Kaufman, Director of the Mystic Sea Music Festival, Mystic, CT, says, “What a delightful story Daisy Nell hath wrought! Such fun, and so much to learn along the way.”  From Gordon Bok, folk artist and author from Camden, ME: “Daisy Nell is encouraging a worthy tradition.” Daisy describes this new book as a celebration of a life surrounded by wonderful musicians here on Cape Ann, and hopes it will inspire children of all ages to find the joy in music.

There will be a reading of Captain Stan’s Foo Foo Band at the Book Store of Gloucester, 61 Main St, on Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 7 PM. Books are for sale at The Book Store and Maritime Gloucester, and at Toad Hall in Rockport, Sea Meadow gifts in Essex, and Russell Orchards, Ipswich.