Dr. Seuss’s tale of Gertrude McFuzz is full of goofy words and surprising rhymes that practically beg for musical setting. Kapilow responds with a wildly jazzy and onomatopoeic score that vividly depicts the three main characters . . . Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard is the fun narrator of the story. You get the sense that she is play-acting with a child of her own . . .

Both The Polar Express and Gertrude McFuzz are delightfully theatrical, a credit to Kapilow’s music as well as the performances on this recording, and they may work well on stage; however, the magic in this recording is that it recreates the intimate experience of a parent reading to their child, inspiring dreams and nurturing imaginations.

Steven Jude Tietjen – Opera News