Cajun Night Before ChristmasIllustrated by James Rice0-88289-940-6

From the PublisherThis Cajun Christmas classic is now available in fullcolor. Take the traditional story of jolly old St. Nicholas, dress him in muskrat from his head to his toes, pile his skiff high with toys, and hitch it to eight friendly flying alligators.

Can You Hear It?William Lach0-8109-5721-3Reading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 32 pagesPublisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers; Rei/Com edition (November 1, 2006)

InstrumentsProduct DescriptionIn association with The Metropolitan Museum of ArtNow the best-selling series Can You Find It? in a great new format! Similar to Abrams best-selling series, Can You Find It?, in this book, young readers are introduced to great music through great works of art. From “The Flight of the Bumblee” to “The Four Seasons” to “Night on Bald Mountain,” beloved music is illustrated by great works of art, and the text and accompanying CD urge young readers to listen for certain instruments. Can you hear the car horns honking, played by clarinets? Can you hear the horses’ hooves, played by castanets? When each CD track is played, young readers will stop, look, and listen as never before. Classical music is filled with unforgettable images. In this book, great examples of pictorial music are matched to masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for an introduction to both music and art appreciation for young listeners. Included is a CD featuring 12 short works and an introduction to the orchestra and the instruments.

Carnival of the Animalsby Camille Saint-Saens and Barrie C. Turner0805061800Hardcover: 42 pagesPublisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (April 21, 1999)

ComposersFrom School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2-Glitzy and exciting packaging is what this book has going for it. Turner has written new commentary for Saint-Sa'ns's music, accompanied by a full-length, music-only CD, cleverly designed to fit into a plastic holder. In addition to offering one-page commentaries on the 14 sections of this famous musical work, Turner gives basic education on the orchestra used for the composition and helpful hints on how to listen for the distinctive animal sounds made by certain instruments. The text is serviceable, but the tone is condescending at times. "Do you think the elephant enjoys dancing? Do you think he knows that he can't dance very well?" Finer, more humorous commentary is available on the CD "Classical Zoo" (Telarc, 1997), with Itzhak Perlman as narrator and new poems by Bruce Adolphe, but then, it is only the recording. Practicality and management of the two resources in one are considerations for librarians, but Carnival of the Animals, while not perfect, is one way to get young children to listen to and absorb classical music. Williams's full-page and spot illustrations are colorful and fanciful, adding another dimension to the presentation. Mollie Bynum, formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AKCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Castles, Caves, and HoneycombsLinda Ashman0-15202-211-2Reading level: Baby-PreschoolHardcover: 32 pagesPublisher: Harcourt Children's Books; Ill edition (March 1, 2001)

From School Library JournalPreS-Gr 3-Written in verse, this book looks at the many varied and unique dwellings that different creatures live in: "Many places make a home-/A heap of twigs./A honeycomb./A castle with/a tower or two./An aerie with/a bird's-eye view." The various habitats are described in a well-balanced rhythm, as single-page illustrations move to double-page spreads. The short phrases and rhymes make the text accessible to beginning readers. Because the names of the animals are not mentioned, children can try to identify the creatures that live in each place, adding an element of participation to the story. Done in swirling acrylics, the bright and cheerful art provides visual clues to the text and reinforces the message about homes being "safe and snug." This title can be enjoyed as poetry or paired with Mary Ann Hoberman's A House Is a House for Me (Puffin, 1982) as part of a unit on dwellings.-Maura Bresnahan, Shawsheen School, Andover, MA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Cat Came Back (The)Illustrated by Bill Slavin0-8075-1097-1Reading level: Ages 4-8Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co (September 1992)

From Publishers WeeklySlavin's illustrated version of the traditional song about a cat whose owner can't get rid of him is full of verve and an irresistible quirkiness. When this feline is sent off in a hot air balloon, the lyrics indicate only that he "came back," but the illustrations show him returning in a spaceship with green cheese from the moon. Old Mister Johnson puts his pet on "an ocean liner going far, far away," but the unflappable creature shows up the next day sporting Hawaiian tourist garb. And so it goes: cat is sent away, cat cunningly returns. At book's end, the contented yellow critter (having made his final reappearance in a yellow cab) watches TV beside his bemused owner, kittens happily wriggling about them. The music for the song is conveniently included at the back of the book, but what will make youngsters want to "come back" repeatedly to this infectious ditty are Slavin's jaunty illustrations that wittily amplify the humor. Ages 6-11.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Cat Goes Fiddle-i-feePaul Galdone978-0899197050Reading level: Baby-PreschoolPaperback: 48 pagesPublisher: Clarion Books (March 21, 1988)

. From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2 This traditional barnyard song is readily available in collections (with music and/or accompanying motions) and also in at least one other picture book version, illustrated by Diane Stanley (Little, 1979; o.p.). Nevertheless, Galdone does a workmanlike job both in the retelling and the illustrations. His cast of charactersunlike Stanley's tarted-up pigs with ties and cats in silk and plumesappear in their natural fur and feathers, crunching apples, pecking for bugs and eating hay. The line-up is the traditional onewith the addition of a grandmother for the final stanza, presumably to lend a sense of conclusion to the text. The cartoon illustrations are bright and cheerful, with each new animal being individually introduced on a double-page spread, then joining the other animals under "yonder tree" in the succeeding double-page layouta design device that reinforces the rhythm and balance of the song itself. This edition will prove useful to librarians and parents who feel more comfortable holding and showing a book while they sing. Kristi Thomas Beavin, Arlington County Public Library, Va.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Cat’s Midsummer Jamboree (The)David Kherdian and Nonny Hogrogian0-399-22222-7Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 30 pagesPublisher: Philomel (April 12, 1990)

Vocabulary: Duet, Trio, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet,From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2 --In this simple, low-key story, a singing, mandolin-playing cat comes upon a variety of other animal musicians and persuades each in turn to join in and travel along. A toad with a harmonica, a flute-playing fox, a drummer badger, and others add to the assembly until they at last become "a jamboree in a tree," attracting listeners and revelers from all around. Kherdian's stylized telling has the quality of a folktale as the players progress from a duet to a trio, to a quartet, and so on, introducing a new animal and instrument each time. The text is slightly more formal than Hogrogian's familiar soft, whimsical colored-pencil and wash drawings, set unfettered against white backgrounds or enclosed in a lush forest backdrop. A pleasant enough stroll, although rather tame stuff for midsummer madness. --Corinne Camarata, Port Washington Public Library, NYCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Charlie Parker played be bopChris Raschka 0531059995Hardcover: 32 pagesPublisher: Scholastic (September 1, 1992)

Amazon.comIt would seem a riddle worthy of the sphinx: how do you give children a sense of jazz music without playing a note? Chris Raschka answers loudly and clearly with the illustrated, syncopated Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. This sparse, rhythmic, repetitive text (inspired by a recording of Parker's "A Night in Tunisia") embraces and reflects the sound and feel of jazz when read aloud: "Charlie Parker played be bop. / Charlie Parker played saxophone. / The music sounded like be bop. / Never leave your cat alone." Whether in complete phrases or in nonsense refrains that taste like music in your mouth ("Alphabet alphabet, alphabet, alph, / Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, chick, / Overshoes, overshoes, overshoes, o, / Reeti-footi, reeti-footi, reeti-footi, ree."), Raschka brings melody to the page, and rhythm to eager ears.

Chicka Chicak Boom Boomby Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault068983568XReading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Aladdin; Reprint edition (August 1, 2000)

Amazon.comThe 26 characters in this rhythmic, rhyming baby book are a lowercase alphabet with attitude. "A told b, and b told c, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree'"--which probably seemed like a good idea until the other 23 members of the gang decided to follow suit. Lois Ehlert's chunky block illustrations show the luxuriant green palm standing straight and tall on the first page, but it begins to groan and bend under its alphabetical burden. First the coconuts fall off, then ("Chicka chicka... BOOM! BOOM!") all the letters also end up in a big heap underneath. A very simple board-book version stops there, but this original text goes on to introduce the helping hands of the 26 uppercase "mamas and papas and uncles and aunts." (Baby to preschool) --Richard Farr --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Clever Tom and the LeprechaunLinda Shute0-590-43170-6Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 40 pagesPublisher: Scholastic (January 1990)

St. Patrick’s Day Irish Music Folk Song: Cobbler CobblerFrom School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 3 This picture book version of ``The Field of Boliauns,'' found in several fairy tale collections, is retold simply and effectively by the author/illustrator of Momotaro the Peach Boy (Lothrop, 1986). The story concerns Tom, who traps a leprechaun into telling him where his pot of gold is buriedunder a bush in a field full of yellow-flowered weeds (the boliauns). Going off to get a spade, Tom marks the spot with a red garter, and returns to find a field full of red-gartered boliauns. Shute moves the story along briskly, illustrating it with full-page paintings in pastel shades, Tom and the leprechaun being drawn to typeor archetype. Also included is a two-page compilation of leprechaun folklore which is almost more interesting than the story itself. The narrative, pared down from the lilting language used in collections meant for older readers, loses much of its style, although Shute attempts to retain some inflections in the dialogue. Still, for picture book readers, this is an effective retelling, true to its sources in story and illustration, entertaining in its result. It could become a standby in picture book fairy tale collections. Christine Behrmann, New York Public Library Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Crocodile BeatGail Jorgensen0-689-71881-0Reading level: Baby-PreschoolPaperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Aladdin (September 1, 1994)

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 1-- The first verse sets the scene for this simple, original animal tale told in syncopated couplets, followed by a line of rhythmic animal sounds: "Down by the river in the heat of the day/ the crocodile sleeps and awaits his prey./ Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz." While the crocodile naps, a spirited troop of King Lion's animal friends come to dance at the river's edge. They wake up Croc and, with appetite aroused, he is just about to devour Lion's helpless subjects when the crafty King substitutes his bright red throne for Croc's intended midday meal. Backgrounds of pure white or broad bands of color set off the strikingly textured tissue collages which glow with stained-glass translucency. The lively naturalistic portrayal of elephants, monkeys, bear, etc. is well suited to the bold graphic layouts of the full-color double-page spreads. In spite of the fact that one or two of the rhymes are ill-chosen, as if inspired by a rhyming dictionary, overall the text is straightforward and clear. A potentially successful read-aloud, the story requires a reader who can get into the jazzlike beat of the strongly rhythmic verses. The animal sound effects offer a chance for story-hour listeners to join in the telling of the tale. Because the book's strongest element is its illustration, very young children undoubtedly will delight in naming the familiar animals appealingly pictured on its pages. --Carey Ayres, Port Washington Public Library, NYCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Do You See a Mouse?Bernard Waber0-395-82742-6Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books (August 26, 1996)

Vocal Exploration for older students, High/Low, Loud/Soft, Ti Ti Ta patternsFrom Publishers Weekly "What a scandal! What a calamity!" Someone has spotted a mouse in the ultra-chic Park Snoot Hotel. Everyone else says it ain't so. Says Simon the doorman, "Do you see a mouse? I do not see a mouse"-a refrain echoed by other hotel employees and guests. Delighted youngsters, however, will squeal "Yes!" as they spy the mouse on the subsequent pages of this predictable yet engaging tale by the creator of the Lyle Crocodile books. The mouse can be seen riding atop a pile of luggage on the bellman's cart, nibbling a piece of cheese in the kitchen, peeking out from a napkin on a waiter's tray, helping the conductor direct the hotel orchestra, etc. Though the hotel owner, too, denies the existence of the rodent, he decides to put everyone's mind at ease and hires the world's foremost mouse-catchers to "look into this beastly matter." In lively slapstick style, Waber shows the debonair mouse looking on as the identically mustachioed, bowler-hatted Hyde and Snide search high and low, finally certifying (and double certifying) that there is no mouse in the hotel. Even more than his lighthearted text, Waber's droll cartoon art delivers the humor here. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dragons Are Singing Tonight (The)Jack Prelutsky0-688-09645-XReading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 40 pagesPublisher: Greenwillow; 1st ed edition (September 15, 1993)

PoetryFrom Publishers WeeklyPrelutsky ( Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast ) and Sis ( An Ocean World ; Komodo! ) outdo themselves with this fanciful series of poems about dragons. Prelutsky wrings a range of surprising verse from a seemingly limited theme. Stock images get a face-lift: in "A Dragon's Lament," for example, the narrator declares, "I'm tired of being a dragon, / Ferocious and brimming with flame, / The cause of unspeakable terror / When anyone mentions my name." An unerring sense for rhythm lends punch to the light verse, while more atmospheric selections, like the title poem, conjure up a fantasy world, where dragons come out of their lairs and "sing of their exploits of old / Of maidens and knights, and of fiery fights / And guarding vast caches of gold." Sis adds a new depth to Prelutsky's poetry. The artist's trademark antique gold borders enclose dramatically colored full-spread oil and gouache paintings. Old-fashioned imagery collides happily with whimsy: a Tenniel-style girl "walks" her leashed dragons, which soar in the air like kites; an ailing scaly dragon, reclining in its fairy-tale-like stone house, sips from tanks of gasoline; a goggle-wearing pilot in an open-air cockpit steers a mechanical dragon made from charmingly low-tech components (an umbrella serves as propellor). An enchanted pairing. Ages 4-up. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Drummer HoffBarbara Emberley0-13-220-822-9Reading level: Ages 9-12Publisher: Holiday House; 2nd edition (October 1967)

Read aloudBeatProduct DescriptionEd Emberley won the 1968 Caldecott Medal for his bold illustrations for Barbara Emberley's jaunty adaptation of the cumulative folk song about seven soldiers who build a magnificent cannon and Drummer Hoff, who fires it off. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Each Peach Pear PlumJanet and Allen Ahlberg0140509194Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Puffin Books (June 1999)

Amazon.com"Each Peach Pear Plum. I spy Tom Thumb!" In this engaging, interactive book for the very young, familiar nursery-rhyme characters such as Mother Hubbard and Baby Bunting sneak their way into the gentle drawings. Even young children who might not know all the fairy-tale stars can find them lurking in the cupboard, on the stairs, or deep in the woods. In the happy finale, the whole cast meets up for plum pie in the sun, where the little one on your lap will gleefully find everyone. An American Library Association Notable Book. (Baby to preschooler) --This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Eensy-Weensy SpiderMary Ann Hoberman (The)0316734128Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (September 1, 2004)

From Publishers WeeklyCapering caterpillars and blooming spring flowers ornament this bouncy reprise of a nursery standby. The book opens with musical stanzas for "The Eensy-Weensy Spider," along with a diagram of hand and arm gestures to be performed by the singer. A carnation-pink spider climbs a crocus-blue waterspout, while subsequent spreads describe the eight-legged heroine's garden adventures, all in keeping with the original tune: "The eensy-weensy spider met a baby bug./ 'Hi!' said the spider and gave the bug a hug./ 'Ugh!' said the bug. 'Your hug is much too tight!'/ 'I'm sorry,' said the spider. 'I meant to be polite.' " Hoberman (A House Is a House for Me) invents everyday scenarios in which the spider interacts with her friendly insect neighbors (e.g., she gets assistance from a glow worm when the sun goes down). Westcott (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly) conjures the cozy vignettes with dainty pen-and-ink outlines and fresh watercolor hues of daffodil yellow and misty green. The spider's mother sits down to a meal of curds and whey, and the eensy-weensy spider drifts off to sleep in a spun-silk hammock. These pleasing new stanzas extend a favorite song and lend personality to an indomitable creature who never lets a little rain get in her way. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and ChristmasMichael J. Rosen0-15-225-394-7Reading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 32 pagesPublisher: Harcourt Children's Books; Library Binding edition (October 15, 1992)

Christmas and HanukkahProduct DescriptionMichael and Elijah are friends, but when Elijah gives Michael one of his special carved angels, Michael doesn’t know what to do. How can he possibly take home a Christmas angel, a forbidden graven image--especially on Chanukah? “A strikingly illustrated story that tenderly bridges the boundaries of age, race, and religion.”--American Bookseller

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal VirtuosaAndrea Pinkney0786805684Reading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 32 pagesPublisher: Jump At The Sun; 1 edition (March 11, 2002)

From School Library JournalGrade 1-4-Scat Cat Monroe, a feline who earned his name by knowing the "Queen of Scat," tells her story from "small-town girl to the First Lady of Song." The text, divided into four tracks (chapters), highlights Fitzgerald's early days in Harlem, singing with the Chick Webb Orchestra at the Savoy, and performing bebop with Dizzy Gillespie at Carnegie Hall. In a playful, conversational tone, this work nearly sings the rhythms of scat. Lively words and phrases like "Her voice was quick-fried rhythm" and "her scat swung to cloud nine and back" are scattered throughout. Brian Pinkney's distinctive scratchboard-and-acrylic paintings evoke the rhythm of the text and invite readers along on the ride. They will enjoy finding Scat Cat himself on most of the spreads. Bright colors, jazzy words, and energetic artwork bring the music of scat and Fitzgerald to life. A page of biographical information is included. This beautifully rendered tribute to the "Vocal Virtuosa" will be a welcome addition in all libraries.Shauna Yusko, King County Library System, Bellevue, WACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Engine, Engine, Number NineStephanie Calmenson0-590-26820-1Paperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Scholastic Canada, Limited (1998)

Read aloudBeatProduct DescriptionBeautifully illustrated poem about a train and all the things it passes on its route.

Farkle and FriendsJohn LithgowAudio CD (June 18, 2002)Original Release Date: June 18, 2002Number of Discs: 1Label: Kid RhinoASIN: B000066RLW

Product DescriptionThe exuberant new album FARKLE & FRIENDS is a child's guide to the orchestra with a difference. In this self-produced CD, John Lithgow performs with a full-scale symphony orchestra. Several of the songs are originals that he co-wrote with conductor Bill Elliott. Among them is "The Remarkable Farkle McBride", the acclaimed symphonic version of the Simon & Schuster best-selling children's book of the same name. Narrated and sung by John, the colorful piece illustrates the individual instruments of the orchestra and then brings them all together for a rousing finish. Elsewhere the orchestra backs John with lively waltzes,'30s Hollywood swing, thumping marches, and sizzling salsa. Also featured are old favorites such as "Animal Crackers In My Soup", Irving Berlin's "I'd Rather Lead A Band", and Leonard Bernstein's "Wrong Note Rag", a duet that John sings with guest Bebe Neuwirth. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Farmer in the DellIlse Plume (The)1-56792-270-8 Hardcover: 32 pagesPublisher: David R Godine (April 1, 2004)

Sing AloudHigh/Low From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2–The life of a farm family is portrayed in this newly illustrated version of the traditional children's singing game. Seasons change and years pass as the farmer does his chores in the summer, marries in the fall, becomes a father in the winter, and sows his crops in the spring. The setting is the Pennsylvania Dutch country, and the pages abound with birds, hearts, and flowers in the style of those found in Amish quilts. The clothing, furniture, architecture, and buggies reinforce the sense of place. Plume's delicate, colored-pencil illustrations have a flat, patterned quality and are printed on off-white paper, which gives this small book an old-fashioned feel. The text gently undulates across the horizontal pages, echoing the rolling hills of the landscape and recalling the musical nature of the text. Instructions for playing the game, notes about the art, and sheet-music endpapers are included. The version illustrated by Alexandra Wallner (Holiday House, 1998) is done in a more general American folk art style.A lovely addition to music or picture-book collections.–Robin L. Gibson, formerly at Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fiddle-I-FeeA Farmyard Song for the Very YoungMelissa Sweet978-0316825221Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Little Brown & Co (Juv Pap) (September 1994)

From Publishers WeeklyThis ebullient take on a familiar nursery song features a cozy pastoral setting and a winsome cast. Readers follow a boy around the barnyard as he feeds his pets (cat, pig, goat, duck, etc.), and all join in for an impromptu parade that culminates with a tractor ride and a festive picnic. Each turn of the page introduces a new verse, a new animal and a new sound ("pig went griffy-gruffy"; "goose went swishy-swashy"), making this a particularly satisfying read-aloud. Sweet's buoyant watercolors are the perfect complement to the cumulative "Old MacDonald"-style text. Framed by cheerily dotted borders, animals are introduced on left-hand pages; opposite, they frolic in full-page scenes. Youngsters will delight in the clever foreshadowing of coming attractions--the pig's entrance, for example, is preceded by a glimpse on the previous page of pink hindquarters and a curly tail. Music is included. Ages 2-6.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Fire Flies!Julie Brinckloe0689710550Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Aladdin; 1st Aladdin Ed edition (May 31, 1986)

Sing AloudFirefly (Japanese Folk Song) Firefly, firefly in the night, With a yellow, with a yellow, with a yellow light, How I love to see you shine tonight! Firefly, firefly may I speak Did you turn your light out, Are you playing hide and seek! Up above the clouds I see you peek.Card catalog descriptionA young boy is proud of having caught a jar full of fireflies, which seems to him like owning a piece of moonlight, but as the light begins to dim he realizes he must set the insects free or they will die.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the BedEllen Christelow0-395-55701-1Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 32 pagesPublisher: Clarion Books; 1 edition (March 15, 1989)

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 1-- In a brief prelude to the title rhyme, five little monkeys ready themselves for bed, and say goodnight to their mother. Then, really getting down to business, they launch into some serious bed-jumping. Young children familiar with this popular finger play will appreciate Christelow's incorrigible monkeys, jumping with abandon, oblivious to the repeated warning: "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Newcomers will find the rhyme a delightful discovery which begs to be repeated. With each successive casualty, mother monkey dutifully consults the doctor, and bandages the wounds. Finally, all five battle-weary monkey children are asleep, and mother can go to bed. Colored pencil drawings in soft pastels depict the totally silly but lovable monkey family and its doctor. This is a natural for younger story hours, and can also be used with beginning readers. Whether sublimely happy or ridiculously goofy, Christelow's expressive monkeys pack a lot of appeal. --Corinne Camarata, Port Washington Public Library, N.Y.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Flying Feet a Story if Irish DanceAnna Marlis Bugard0-8118-4431-5Reading level: Ages 9-12Hardcover: 36 pagesPublisher: Chronicle Books (January 27, 2005)

Irish DanceFrom School Library JournalGrade 1-3–Two itinerant dancers arrive at the same time in the Irish village of Ballyconneely in hopes of teaching the locals a variety of steps. Because the citizens can afford only one instructor, the two must vie for the position. One of them names a tune and the other demonstrates his fancy footwork to the accompaniment of a fiddle and whistle. The contest begins on a wooden door placed on the ground but quickly moves to the lid of a barrel, then atop a stone wall. A crowd slowly gathers as the excitement and tension of the competition build. The two men appear to be equally talented until one of them climbs a roof and dances on the chimney, a feat that is shown on a vertical flap. He is clearly the winner, and the community holds a bonfire dance in celebration and welcome. Illustrations in pastels and colored pencils adequately depict the events of the story but are stiff and do not convey the energy and motion of the dancers. Swirls in the drawings, intended to show the rapid movement of feet, also are used to show smoke and wind, so the effect is somewhat muffled. The text, set in small type and superimposed on the art, is sometimes hard to read. An author's note and a pronunciation guide for the few Gaelic words used are appended.– Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fox Went Out On a Chilly Night (The)Peter Spier978-0440408291Reading level: Ages 4-8Paperback: 48 pagesPublisher: Dragonfly Books (July 1, 1994)

Sing AloudFolk SongProduct DescriptionA timeless folk song provides inspiration for some of the funniest, brightest drawings Peter Spier has ever produced. In the song, a fox forages for food in the village to bring to his family back in the den. The music is also included so everyone can sing along.

Froggie Went A-Courting: An Old Tale with a New TwistMargorie Priceman0316712272Reading level: Ages 4-8Hardcover: 32 pagesPublisher: Megan Tingley; 1st ed edition (April 1, 2000)YouTube:Lonnie Doneganhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQaai3zjgGQ

From Publishers WeeklyWith characteristic verve, Priceman (One of Each) turns the Scottish folk song about the marriage of a frog and a mouse into a zingy picture book. In this rendition, the action takes place not in the countryside but in contemporary Manhattan. Froggie hops a cab over to Ms. Mouse's apartment above the Cheese World storefront and asks for her hand in marriage. Soon preparations for a reception atop the Statue of Liberty are underway. Word of the engagement flashes in Times Square lights; Ms. Mouse reads Modern Mouse Bride. But just as the wedding celebration goes into full swing, "a guest with a long black tail" arrives, sets the partygoers scurrying and makes a meal of crabby Auntie Rat. Priceman pays a fitting tribute to the Big Apple, giving her text a big-city bustle and rhythm and showcasing such attractions as Chinatown, the Empire State Building and a Circle Line tourist boat. She more than matches the story's zip with gouache and cut-paper compositions saturated in kicky color. A master of clever perspective, Priceman whisks readers from street-level views of towering buildings to the sky-high party in Lady Liberty's crown. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.