Raffi

Photo © 2003 Timothy White

“Two of the things I love most in life are music and reading.”—Raffi

Raffi is the author of the Songs to Read® series and other popular books for children.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Two of the things I love most in life are music and reading,” says Raffi, North America’s most popular and beloved children’s entertainer. “With my children’s books—particularly the Songs to Read® series—I can see them united. I love the thought that children and their parents are singing and reading together. Singing and reading were extremely important to my parents, and I know how crucial they are to the early development of all children.”

Raffi Cavoukian was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1948 to Armenian parents. He was named Raffi after a famous Armenian author, one of his mother’s favorite writers. When he was ten years old, his family immigrated to Canada and settled in Toronto (where Raffi lived until he moved to Vancouver in 1990). His father, the renowned portrait photographer Cavouk, continued his successful career in his new home. He also continued to play the accordion and sing in the Armenian church choir. Music and literature were very much a part of Raffi’s growing up.

Raffi began to play the guitar as a teenager. He spent many hours listening to his favorite singer-songwriters, including Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, and learning to play their songs. He started composing on his own, and in 1970 he began his career as a performer in local music spots.

In 1974, his friend Daphne Pike recognized in his warm, sincere voice something that would appeal to young children. She urged him to visit the Toronto nursery school where she was director and spend an hour or so entertaining her students.

The result was magic. The children laughed, clapped, and sang along with Raffi’s renditions of “Eensy Weensy Spider,” “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep,” and “The Wheels on the Bus.” He sang songs that they loved and encouraged them to join in as soon as they could. Other similar performances followed: uncomplicated, catchy tunes, silly jokes, and love and respect flowing in both directions. Something unique was developing.

By 1976, Raffi was touring folk festivals and coffeehouses across Canada, writing songs by day and performing at night. He had recorded one solo album on his own fledgling Troubadour Records label. He was performing in Toronto schools, doing shows and music workshops for children and teachers.

By talking with parents and teachers, Raffi realized that there was a real need for quality recorded music for children. There were few albums that recognized children as a worthy audience. “Music for adults is continually changing and growing,” Raffi later wrote, “and we have a multitude of recorded works to choose from. However, there are very few good children’s records. But children deserve good music, too.”

In 1976, he decided to put his thoughts into action. He began to plan an album of traditional and original songs that recognized children’s need for music and that they could easily make their own. The result was Singable Songs for the Very Young, an album that has become a classic and is still the best-selling of all Raffi’s recordings.

As Raffi’s music became more and more popular, and as the number of his recordings increased, another dream began to grow—using his songs as springboards to reading. Raffi’s colleagues Deborah Pike, Bonnie Simpson, and Bert Simpson—former primary school teachers—knew that children could naturally begin to read the words to songs they already loved to sing. Familiar song lyrics could help young children move from singing to reading.

So they printed the words to a favorite song in booklets, which were then illustrated by the children themselves or by older students; as a result, the children had instant readers that they could use at their own level of proficiency. Children who could not read at all turned the pages and looked at the pictures as they sang along; children with more advanced skills could read or sing the words as they went through the books. This led to the publication of Down by the Bay and Shake My Sillies Out, followed by other titles in the Songs to Read® series.

Over the years, Raffi and Crown have worked together to manufacture books that reflect Raffi’s deep, ongoing concern for the environment. Chlorine-free papers and vegetable-based inks have been used whenever possible, in order to minimize toxic effects on the environment. The goal is to make Raffi books that are completely organic, with no harm to the Earth during their manufacture or after their life span.

“With what we’ve recently learned about the dangers that synthetic pollutants pose to children’s health, it is important to change the way many goods, including books, are made,” says Raffi. “Authors and publishers can and must work together to make publishing a clean and sustainable enterprise.”

In 1998, Raffi published his first book for adults—an autobiography. In it he tells the story of his unique life and career, including his efforts to blend respect for both children and the natural world, in order to work toward a child-honoring society.


PRAISE

BABY BELUGA
“Children will get a first, cheerful lesson about the natural world by becoming acquainted with an enchanting baby beluga. The illustrations are a joy, and the song's rhythm and rhyme make it easy to remember and sing.”—School Library Journal

Author Bookshelf
		Baby Beluga Written by Raffi Board Raffi's signature song and the top seller in his Songs to Read series, Baby Beluga is now available in a quality board book edition perfect for his youngest fans. Read More
		Baby Beluga Written by Raffi Illustrated by Ashley Wolff Trade Paperback Illus. in full color. Read More
		Down by the Bay Illustrated by Raffi and Nadine Bernard Westcott Board A classic silly song that toddlers know and love, Down by the Bay has been a favorite and best-selling Raffi Songs to Read/reg/ since it was first published in 1988. In this friendly board book edition, irresistible art by Nadine Bernard Westcott depicts wonderfully amusing creatures such as a bear combing... Read More
		Down by the Bay Written by Raffi Trade Paperback Illus. in full color. "Bright, clear colors humorously portray the busy children, jolly animals, and frantic mothers that populate the song. Music (melody line, with chords marked) is included."--School Library Journal.   Read More
		Five Little Ducks Written by Raffi Illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey Board First published in 1989, this charming Raffi Songs to Read/reg/ has fresh appeal as a board book that the youngest child can hold. With sweet illustrations by veteran children's book artists Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, this lovely counting song will invoke squeals of delight from babies and toddlers. They'll love... Read More
		Five Little Ducks Written by Raffi Trade Paperback Illus. in full color. "Vivid pictures tell the tale of a mother duck who loses her ducklings, one by one. A happy ending is assured when they return with ducklings of their own. Music and chords are included. The title is well done, giving a visual dimension to a popular children's... Read More
		If You're Happy and You Know It Written by Raffi Illustrated by Cyd Moore Board It's Monkey's birthday and all his friends are getting together to celebrate, but shhh, it's a surprise! Join in as Rabbit makes the invitations, Hedgehog brings the balloons, Fox makes the dessert, and all the animals shout "Hooray!"when Monkey arrives at the party. This adorable story is the perfect match for the... Read More
		If You're Happy and You Know It Written by Raffi Illustrated by Cyd Moore Hardcover It’s Monkey’s birthday and all his friends are getting together to celebrate, but shhh, it’s a surprise! Join in as Rabbit makes the invitations, Hedgehog brings the balloons, Fox makes the dessert, and all the animals shout “Hooray!” when Monkey arrives at the party. This adorable story is the perfect match... Read More
		Shake My Sillies Out Written by Raffi Trade Paperback Illus. in full color. "Rollicking pictures of a moonlit night in the woods of Camp Mariposa, where both animals and campers are struck by the urge to shake, clap, jump, waggle, and eventually yawn. Melody line and chords are provided at the end."--Language Arts.   Read More
		Spider on the Floor Written by Raffi Illustrated by True Kelley Trade Paperback A new Raffi board book to delight the youngest of fans! Arachnophobes, beware: there’s a spider on the floor! A perfect silly song sure to delight and entertain toddlers everywhere, Raffi’s latest board book is a welcome addition to the series. True Kelley’s irresistible artwork is the perfect showcase for the... Read More
		This Little Light of Mine Written by Raffi Illustrated by Stacey Schuett Board Raffi’s version of this traditional favorite song is perfectly paired with Stacey Schuett’s adorable illustrations as a shy young star prepares to take center stage in a school play so she can let her own light shine. Now available in board book format, toddlers everywhere will love to read and sing... Read More
		Wheels on the Bus Written by Raffi Trade Paperback Illus. in full color. "With a jovial bus driver as host, readers have quite a ride ahead of them as the bus bounces through what appears to be a French town. In her first book the artist humorously injects the familiar song with cheerful new life."--Horn Book.   Read More
		Wheels on the Bus Written by Raffi Illustrated by Sylvie Wickstrom Board Singing and reading to your child are considered two of the most vital ways parents can stimulate the development of a child's brain during the earlist years. Raffi's Songs to Read unites the rhythm, rhyme, and repetition that helps to lay the foundation for later speech, listening, and reading skills. here... Read More