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Peter Yarrow's Songs Speak to Three Generations

Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, sang several of his much-loved songs while three generations sang along at BookSmart.

Peter Yarrow, who first became known in the 1960s as part of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has a whole new generation of fans.

He came to the BookSmart bookstore in Morgan Hill on Tuesday, guitar in hand, to find the store packed with children. There were several families from Gilroy in the audience, who sat eagerly awaiting the start of Yarrow's performance.

They sat on the laps of their parents or grandparents, while those sitting on the ground scooted forward to be closer to Yarrow as they sang along to old favorites like “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

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Yarrow, who is known for his political activism, as well as the children’s charities he has supported for decades, talked about the importance of singing.

“When you sing with people, you’re less likely to push them away," he said.

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In between songs, Yarrow made comments that made the older audience members laugh. After singing “Going to the Zoo,” he said “Tomorrow we’re going to Occupy Zoo.”

Yarrow laughed along with the adults, and then he spoke to the children. “We won’t make any demands,” he said. “We just want people to be nice to each other.”

Yarrow asked the grownups to visit his website, OperationRespect.org, which he founded to address the issues of bullying and violence in schools.

When Yarrow began singing “Puff the Magic Dragon,” the children and adults burst into applause, and then joined in. The room became quiet as Yarrow reached the song’s saddest part, “Dragons live forever but not so little boys,” sang Yarrow softly while many of Yarrow’s gray-haired fans wiped away tears.

Yarrow held up his hand and then sang a new last verse, in which the granddaughter of little Jackie Paper becomes Puff’s new best friend.

After the concert, four-year-old Lavie Wong, sitting beside her grandmother Viki Wong, was asked why she liked Puff. “Because he’s magic,” said Lavie.

When asked why she’d brought Lavie, Viki replied, “I want her to experience Peter Yarrow singing and reading. We’ve known about him for a long time. He’s young at heart.”

Kristie Ward, who’d brought her daughter Charlotte Rose Ward, agreed.

“He’s a childhood hero of mine,” Ward said. “We’re getting to share across generations.”

Copies of "Puff the Magic Dragon" signed by Yarrow are available at the BookSmart Kids in Gilroy, located at 7490 Monterey St.

 

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