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Lulie the Iceberg benefits environment and UNICEF

The concert will feature renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma and benefit UNICEF. The Princess is also donating her author's royalties for Lulie the Iceberg to the children's agency. A compact disc of the concert will be produced by Sony Classical.

"Princess Takamado is a remarkable woman who has consistently stressed the importance of understanding and preserving the environment and of educating all the world's children," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said. "Her use of story-telling to fire the imagination and courage of children is a remarkable gift. We are deeply grateful to her for her support for UNICEF."

Lulie the Iceberg tells the story of a breakaway iceberg's journey from pole to pole, revealing along the way the migratory routes of birds and mammals and the patterns of ocean currents. Illustrations are by the award-winning artist Warabe Aska. The book's publisher is Kodansha of Japan and the United States.

The 4 November opening of a multi-media exhibit, The Oceans We Share, will be held in the Danny Kaye Exhibit Area of UNICEF House. Designed by Jan Ralph, Duggal and the Green Team, it features original art work for the book and children's photographs, as well as related United Nations documentation. Princess Takamado, Bellamy and United Nations Under-Secretary-General Nitin Desai will be among the dignitaries present for a brief opening ceremony.

In addition to Yo Yo Ma, the Carnegie Hall concert will feature artists Pamela Frank, Paul Winter, the Orchestra of St. Luke's and the Betty Baisch Choral Associates. The story of Lulie will be narrated by actor Sam Waterston. The musical centrepiece will be an original composition -- "Lulie the Iceberg" -- by American composer Jeffrey Stock. A dinner at Essex House, also benefiting UNICEF, will follow the 7:00 PM performance. Many of the artists involved are donating their services.

Lulie the Iceberg, Princess Takamado's second book for children, was inspired by two recent trips to the Arctic and several years of active involvement with a number of ocean-related environmental projects. The Princess has worked closely with the Icebridge Forum of Cambridge University, an organisation of concerned educators and scientists which promotes knowledge of the oceans and the polar regions. The Icebridge Forum has also been instrumental in organizing the launch of Lulie the Iceberg, in cooperation with UNICEF, Kodansha, the Japan Society and other organizations and corporations.. The Lulie launch is also supported by the UN missions of Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay, nations that Lulie "visits" on his journey from pole to pole, and by the governments of Canada and Japan.

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