When Lisa was little, she loved the Opposites book so much that it literally fell apart. At 19 months, she would amaze strangers by “reading” the book to herself wherever we were (beach, grocery line, restaurant). We put it back together with duct tape and it lasted through Bart as well, although Bart was more of a But Not the Hippopotamus kind of guy.
When Maggie was born, my awesome cousin gave her two Boynton collections, which included a fresh, new copy of Opposites, along with 6 others, including her faves, Barnyard Dance and Pajama Time.
This Christmas, the same awesome cousin (who is a literacy specialist with her school board and always gives very cool book gifts) gave each of my kids a Sandra Boynton music and lyrics collection. They are so, so awesome.
Maggie received Dog Train (which turned out to be the top pick of all the kids). The songs are funny, both to adults and kids and the tunes are catchy. Weird Al Yankovic and Kate Winslet do an awesome duet called “I Need a Nap”. Also Simpson-recommended is Doshie Luther’s “Wave Bye-Bye” where a 4-year-old finds herself at a grown-up party with her parents and wants to just get the hell out of there. Best line:
They said it was a party
But they made a mistake
How can it be a party
when there isn’t any cake?
Bart received Philadelphia Chickens, which is like a Broadway production featuring the voices of Meryl Streep, Scott Bakula, Laura Linney and Eric Stolz, among others.
Lisa received Rhinoceros Tap, advertised as “15 Seriously Silly Songs”. Bart likes the “Bad Babies” song best, which is a look at babies from a 5-year-old’s perspective.
Each CD came with a hardcover book with the music and lyrics and Boynton’s awesome illustrations and they even got the matching stuffed animal for each of the books. If you click on any of the links above, Amazon has a "Listen to Samples" feature. Do it... you'll be hooked!
If you are looking for kid music that doesn’t drive you around the bend, I highly recommend these three CD’s.
16 comments:
Ohh Sandra made reading board books fun again! Until that time I was SO over Good Night Moon (why oh why is this such the consummate classic??!?!)
I cannot believe I am admitting this but we bought Barnyard Dance and my husband and I used to act out the book... It made my son laugh hysterically to see his dad clucking like chicken, etc... The Doggies and Going to Bed books were also a fav.
I actually bought him one of these hard cover books with the CD last year but my son was sort of over Sandra which totally bummed me out. I LOVE THOSE BOOKS!
Perhaps there will be a revival but I have to agree it is a great gift idea and also lovely to own as well! (shhh, I listen to it even though my son is not into it to make ME laugh some times...)
We LOVE Sandra Boynton around here!
I've never heard of her, but these definitely sound like they are worth checking out!
Isn't is great when you find books your kids just cannot get enough of? My kids are older, but we have similar love affairs with authors for young readers. It's fantastic to share the love of literature with your children.
Heidi
I never had the Boynton books myself, but I have read soooo many of them while babysitting. And also, my mother owns a toy store and those books fly off the shelves. It's amazing.
LOVE Sandra Boynton!!
We LOVE Sandra Boynton...see?
Sigh. I was trying to link this old post in my last comment. It didn't work.
badnessjones.blogspot.com/2007/11/blame-it-on-boynton.html
We LOVE Sandra Boynton. The Baby insists on hearing Moo Baa Lalala multiple times a DAY.
Badness - isn't that funny that we cited the same song? The lyrics really resonate with the older sibling of a baby.
I will be able to recite Barnyard Dance from memory till the day I die. Our current favorite is Your Personal Penguin, with the downloadable song sung by Davy Jones. Hee.
Love Sandra Boynton! The monkey loves Personal Penguin! :)
thanks for the recommendations, i'm definitely going to check those out! i love boynton, and i'm so tired of our current book collection!
I will definitely be looking for the cd/book sets, always a hit at my house. Thanks Lori!
AAAhhhhh --- BIRTHDAY MONSTERS!!! It's the best for making the birthday kid feel special. Especially when mom is dancing around the kitchen with the other kiddies reciting it whilst the birthday child sits in the middle of the counter embarassed but also seriously enjoying the moment.
You're not awake
It's six o'clock
You hear a ring
You hear knock-knock
You hear the door come crashing down
The birthday monsters ARE IN TOWN!
Helps that I have five children and there are five monsters in the book. :-)
I love her books, except for 'Dogs'. My youngest got it as a gift and loves it. I don't. "One dog, WOOF." Kill me!
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