Sing, Sing, Sing: Lisa Loeb's Silly Sing-Along

When it comes to the genre of "family music," Grammy-nominated songstress Lisa Loeb is one of the divas. Her soft, whispery, right-on-pitch voice has won her fans with kids and with parents who need her merry but calming influence for those times when car rides get long and monotonous.

In her latest and third album/book for children, titled Lisa Loeb's Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs (Sterling, 2011),illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke, all the songs are meant to be silly, especially the title number, "The Disappointing Pancake."

"IT WAS HARDER THAN THE TABLE, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS MY PLATE.

I HIT IT WITH A HAMMER BUT IT DIDN'T EVEN BREAK!"

The strange circular object defies scientific analysis. Is it a Frisbee?

"I LOOKED THE WINDOW AND I SAW IT GLOW.

MAYBE IT'S THE MOON OR JUST A UFO."

More songs in this vein follow: "A Codibye Dose" (A Cold in My Nose), "Fried Ham," and "Chewing Gum" are modern compositions, some by Lisa herself, and some, such as "Found a Peanut" and "Sipping Cider (Through a Straw)" are traditional kid tunes from way back.

Loeb rounds out her songbook with an appendix which includes "Note on Songs" and some recipes, which include, of course, one for Un-Disappointing Pancakes.

No musical ability is needed, as you can pop the included CD in and let Lisa perform and teach the songs until they become singalong favorites. This one is fun for family singalongs, camping, summer day groups, and long car trips.

Loeb's previous albums for children include Catch the Moon [With CD], a potpourri of original tunes and traditional nursery songs, including "Twinkle, Twinkle" and "Big Rock Candy Mountain," and Camp Lisa, a collection of summer camp songs, many from yesteryear to please old and young.

How Many Times? Blowin' in the Wind illustrated by Jon Muth

THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND, IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND...

Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind, performed and released in 1963, has ironically become the unofficial but iconic anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, but over the years since, the poetry behind the lyrics has assumed a more diffuse and universal significance. Social movements come and go, reach fruition and fame, and yet we still encounter the same issues of inequality and evil that humans have always faced. How do we explain this ongoing struggle to the young?

Caldecott Honor illustrator Jon Muth's just published Blowin' in the Wind (Sterling, 2011) uses the medium of the modern picture book, bringing his considerable artistic skills to the task of portraying Dylan's well-worn words. Muth uses diaphanous watercolors and a few central symbols, young children representing innocence, and their playthings--a big red balloon, small red ball, a modest bouquet of red flowers, a guitar, and paper airplanes lofted on the breeze--representing the fragility of hope and aspiration, blowin' in the wind so to speak, as line by line Dylan's verse appears on each page.

The children meet, push off into smooth waters together, one boy trailing his hand in the water, and finally disembark to toss the ball together, the balloon tied to the muzzle of a flag-draped cannon as their paper airplane becomes many, floating away as the song draws to its end:

YES, AND HOW MANY DEATHS WILL IT TAKE TILL THEY SEE
THAT TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED?

Muth chooses a gentle approach to this hard question, utilizing the soft and light style and use of images from nature that he used to such effect in last year's City Dog, Country Frog and his noted and best-selling Zen Ties and The Three Questions [Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy]. Muth doesn't hit the reader over the head with his theme, leaving Dylan's words to blend with his liquid illustrations and filter into the mind.

With an included CD of Dylan's original song and historical notes by Greil Marcus to put the song into context, this is a must-have title for libraries and a valuable addition to any home library. The New York Times said succinctly said, "…Jon J Muth['s] dreamy, delicate watercolors seem particularly well suited to Bob Dylan's call for peace, freedom and understanding."

Root, Root, Root for the Home Team: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

KATIE CASEY WAS BASEBALL MAD.

SHE HAD THE FEVER AND SHE HAD IT BAD!

Katie Casey is one cat who knows what to do with a bat, and when she heads out to Sluggers Stadium to see her favorite team in action. It's a standoff between the big bat of Crocodile and the trick curve ball of Giraffe, and the crowd is ready for a dandy duel between this duo.

In rhyming verse, this frame story leads into the famous words of the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" which becomes the narrative of the big game. Big, vivid illustrations by Amiko Hirao take youngsters through the game, and Grammy winner Carly Simon's CD performance of the famous song in Take Me Out to the Ball Game (Imagine, 2011) make this one just right for singalong fun. Pair this one with Brian Lies' Bats at the Ballgame for big time ballgame story times.