Musical Books

I bought a couple of books for Sophie some time ago and I thought it would be good to share our thoughts on them with others. These wonderful Barefoot Books come with CDs but they are not normal audio books. You can either read them and enjoy the repetitive, rhythmic and playful nature of the text, or listen to them as songs in catchy and entertaining tunes. We play it in the car for Sophie when Papa was not listening to The Beatles. I bought these from a store at Forum but I think it is definitely cheaper to get them from September21. There are many more titles but I am going to make do with these because they are quite costly.

Walking Through The Jungle (with CD) by Stella Blackstone

Here is a simple story of a fearless girl encountering different animals as she explores different terrains of the world, in the form of a conversation between the narrator and her. Eventually, she makes it home for supper, safe and sound. i.e. “Climbing in the mountains… What do you see?... I think I see a wolf, chasing after me…”

Apart from the catchy tune and fun animal noises, there is nothing too great about the story. It does promote interaction between reader and listener especially if you include actions and make it into a game. The repetitive nature of the text also makes it easy for toddlers to catch the lyrics and join in the singing. Through the story, you will learn about animals and the places where they live; maybe even action words.

Animal Boogie (with CD) by Debbie Harter

Here is another animal story, with the narrator asking a group of children about the animals in the deep jungle and how they move. It has a lively and upbeat tune so it makes you want to join in and dance. And because each animal is concealed partially at first, it is good to let curious and observant little readers guess before the whole animal is reveal on the next page. i.e. “Down in the jungle where there’s danger all around, what can you see slithering on the ground?... It’s a snake! He goes slither, slither, boogie, woogie, oogie! … That’s the way he’s slithering on the ground! ”

The song is slow when the narrator asks the question but fast in the chorus. And since the text is repetitive, it is easy to sing along after some time. I like the summary page with all the children dancing with the animals. Very enjoyable song, if you do not mind the length text.

Creepy Crawly Calypso (with CD) by Tony Langham

Here is a jolly band of creepy crawlies playing to the Caribbean beat with calypso instruments. So you can imagine a pixar movie scene with these creatures jiving away the night while it teaches cardinal and ordinal numbers, types of instruments and names of creepy crawlies. i.e. “5 Fifth come the fireflies, with brass trumpets to toot… 6 Sixth come the army ants, bearing tiny flutes.”

I love this song and book but I would not recommend it unless you are a band fanatic with good imagination. The singer has an accent that is not very helpful for learning to read although the speed of the song is not too fast. I also like the summary cum fact sheet on instruments and insects at the end of the book.

The Farmyard Jamboree (with CD) by Margaret Read MacDonald

Here is a story of a boy who receives animals as gifts from his family. These animals then give birth and add on to his family of pets. It is a cumulative counting song that teaches 1 to 16 in multiples of 2, names of family members, animals and their babies, and animal sounds. i.e. “Grandpa gave me a clucking red hen… Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! … One day that hen gave me a chick… Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay! How I loved my two little pets!”

The song starts slow but it picks up speed and becomes fun towards the end. It is definitely an acquired taste if you ever like it. The text is simple so toddlers should not have problem catching the words. Personally, I like the tune… much like a folk song.

The Journey Home from Grandpa's (with CD) by Jemima Lumley

Here is a little story of a family travelling home (the city) from Grandpa’s house (the country) after a visit. Along the way, they meet different modes of transportation in assorted colours, icky sticky sand doing what they are intended to do, i.e. “The green digger scoops up the icky sticky sand, the icky sticky sand, the icky sticky sand… The green digger scoops up the icky sticky sand, on the journey home from Grandpa’s.”

When the journey ends, there is an “I-Spy” cum summary page for inquisitive toddlers to show off how well they can remember the vehicles and colours they have learnt along the way. They can even recall the route home from Grandpa’s house. It takes a bit of practice to sing along with the CD because each verse contains a few “tongue twister” words, but once you get it right, you can sing like a pro.

We All Go Traveling By (with CD) by Sheena Roberts

Here is a story of a school bus load of students travelling to school and what they see and hear along the way. Like "The Journey Home From Grandpa’s" by Jemima Lumley, the story introduces different modes of transportation in assorted colours, making their own unique noises.

However, the text is written with the I-Spy theme that encourages interaction between the reader and the listener. It is also cumulative and repetitive so toddlers may find it challenging to recall the sequence as they sing. i.e. "I spy with my little eye, you hear with your little ear. A yellow school bus goes beep- beep - beep. And we all go travelling by, bye-bye, and we all go travelling by. I spy with my little eye, you hear with your little ear. A bright red truck goes rumble- rumble- rumble. A yellow school bus goes beep- beep - beep. And we all go travelling by, bye-bye, and we all go travelling by."

It also has a summary page at the end. The song is not too fast so it is easy for children to pick up the words and sing along. However, it can be quite long because of its cumulative nature. Take a deep breath before you start singing!

I do apologise for my long and personal review about these books with CD, if anyone should disagree with me. I do not sell or promote books so I guess I am entitled to say what I want about whatever I buy.