Shoofly: An Audiomagazine for Children

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 5, 2009

Shoofly is an audiomagazine for children between the ages of 3 and 7, developed by a small independent publisher “dedicated to offering families of young children quality entertainment.” An annual subscription to Shoofly includes 4 issues and a bonus music CD (or MP3 download). Typically, each issue has 4 stories and 4 songs, all are mixed very artfully with poetry and musical elements — the CD’s usually run around 45-60 minutes.

November 5, 2009 | Filed Under Ages Four to Eight: Books for pre-school to second grade, Audiobooks, Interactive: Appeal to the senses, Music, Poetry: Rhymes and verses, Reluctant Readers: Will be begging for more | 2 Comments

Bedtime Sing to Me: Diane C. Ohansesian

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: May 17, 2009

Cover Image

Bedtime Sing to Me: With CD!

by Diane Ohanesian (Author),

Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrations), Mary Ann Schaub (Vocals)

Reading level: Baby-Preschool

Board book: 11 pages

Publisher: Cartwheel Books; Brdbk/Com edition (January 1, 2009)

What to expect: Sing-a-long, Bedtime, Nursery Rhymes

A wonderful collection of new nursery rhymes written to a nice combination of original tunes and classic favorites. Songs like Twinkle, Twinkle, Count with Me (to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”) and Who Is Sleeping? (to the tune of “Frere Jacques”) catch the attention of preschoolers easily. Others, like Blanket Friends (An original calypso song), are imaginative and fresh – a couple of the songs are remindful of Laurie Berkner’s sound. The illustrations match well with the words, allowing for emerging readers to connect with the rhymes when listening. This book has been a huge hit at our house and in the car. Thumbs-up!

Add this book to your collection: Bedtime Sing to Me: With CD!

May 17, 2009 | Filed Under Ages Baby to Three: Books for infants and toddlers, Interactive: Appeal to the senses, Music, Poetry: Rhymes and verses, Sweet Dreams: Books sweet enough for bed time | Leave a Comment

My Name is Chicken Joe: Songs by Trout Fishing in America

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: April 25, 2009

My Name is Chicken Joe

by Trout Fishing in America, Stephanie Jorisch (illustrator)

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Hardcover: 36 pages

Publisher: Secret Mountain; Har/Com edition (April 25, 2009)

What to expect: Animals, Music

My Name is Chicken Joe is not only a fun and nicely illustrated book, it’s a kids music CD with 11 audio recordings that parents will be happy to play over-and-over again. Trout Fishing in America has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, along with many other awards like Parents Choice Gold and American Library Awards — it will only take listening to one of their songs to understand why. The duo that make up the band are Ezra Idlet and Keith Grimwood, their sound is lighthearted folk. NPR said — “Grimwood and Idlet are the Lennon and McCartney of kids’ music.” I agree, but they could also be tagged as the Dave Matthews Band of kids’ music.

The book covers the story of the first track on the CD, which makes for a fun read-a-long. Chicken Joe is not a chicken as you may believe from the title. He is in fact a cat. The message of this lively tale (and the chorus of the song):

What’s in a name? Call it what
you will but it still won’t change.
Call it anything you want but it’s
still the same. What’s in a name?

At the end of the book the lyrics to the other 10 fabulous songs are included — one song to each double page spread, allowing for the illustrations to breath extra life to the words. This is a great book to allow for an interactive experience. Reading at least one book a day is so important for children, combining a musical element just adds to the fun. The CD alone will certainly be worth every penny you spend — perfect for the playroom and car trips!

Add this book to your collection: My Name is Chicken Joe