As you may remember, I recently wrote about Sandra Boynton’s “Blue Moo.” In the process of researching that article, I discovered she had released a couple of other childrens’ audio cd/book combos. As a proud member of the Baby Boomer Generation, who grew up with Big Band-loving parents, Broadway musicals were as much a part of my life as hot apple pie (the movie versions, that is), I grew up on Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Rogers & Hammerstein, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and The Wizard of Oz, to name just a very few of our favorites. I have attended many local live musicals over the years as I have continued with this musical love affair.

Philadelphia Chickens gives me another way to enjoy that musical experience and share it in the car with my grandkids. It’s even one of those CDs that my senior mom will actually enjoy. It’s a childrens’ CD that features kid’s songs with tunes from Broadway Musicals such as A Chorus Line Broadway musical.

If you’ve read Sandra Boynton’s book, Snuggle Puppy, you will recognize and enjoy that song on Philadelphia Chickens. As I understand it, the song came first, and then she wrote a book based on it. I couldn’t figure out how I missed its release, but finally realized I was in the midst of dealing with my dad’s deteriorating health from Parkinson’s Disease, and two grandbabies being born, coupled with bedrest for both my daughters. I guess I was pretty busy that year. Hmmm, come to think of it, I haven’t had a quiet year in over a decade! LOL. Life in the Sandwich Generation is never boring, that’s for sure!

I have to tell you, I am very picky about what I play for my grandkids. If they are going to listen to a song over and over, I want to be sure it is one that is teaching positive things and not negative. There is a very cute song, I Like to Fuss, that starts out saying “Mostly I Am Pleasant, Mostly I am Good,” but then it goes into having a bad day and enjoying it a bit more than I like to hear. It’s a very catchy tune and the words aren’t ones I want to emphasize with my grandkids. That’s when I really appreciate iTunes. I will pop that CD into my computer, add it to iTunes, then save most of the songs to a playlist for the car. But I’m thinking I will be leaving that particular song off. At least until they are old enough to understand it a bit better.

I’m looking forward to introducing them to “The Dinosaur Blues.” Since we love to play dinosaur tag, they will get a special kick out of it! What is dinosaur tag, you ask? I am the “mean” dinosaur, who chases all the other little dinosaurs (who are always much faster and always get away). My youngest grandson always chooses to be the grandbaby dinosaur who gets lots of hugs and wild swings from me. It makes little sense, lots of noise, lots of running, and lots of fun! I just might have to learn to sing the Dinosaur Blues as we are playing that game!

This kids’ music CD features singers such as Meryl Streep, Natasha Richardson, Scott Bakula, and many others and is a fun and delightful treat for young and old alike, making it especially great for those of us in the Sandwich Generation! Our elderly parents will love it, our grandkids will love it, and we will love it!

So, what about you? Do your grandkids already have Philadelphia Chickens? What do you think about it? We’d love to hear your comments on it.

Do you love Davy Jones of the Monkees, Steve Lawrence, Neil Sedaka, Sha Na Na, BB King, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys? Do you enjoy the music of the 50’s?  Do you have fun reading to your grandkids? Would your aging parents say yes to any or all of these? Then I have a wonderful book and cd set to share with you. I can’t believe I just discovered it as it is by one of my absolute, all-time favorite children’s book authors, Sandra Boynton. My only excuse is that I normally focus on her books, but still…

One of my daughters called and told me I should listen to the Penguin Song by Sandra Boynton. I was a bit surprised by that, but I checked it out on YouTube and LOVED IT. I called her back to ask if she was talking about the Personal Penguin song sung by Davy Jones. “Yes, I think so,” she replied. “That’s Davy Jones of the Monkees – one of my all time favorite groups AND singers!” I excitedly reported.

As I watched this adorable song with the cute illustrations from the book, the verse, “A friend loves at all times,” came to my mind. The story makes a great illustration for that verse!

Looking further at the YouTube directory, I discovered another video by Sandra Boynton, herself, explaining how they created one of her recent projects, “The Blue Moo.” It turns out that The Penguin Song is part of that project. It was fascinating – both to hear the story of the book, and to watch the clips of many of my favorite singers in the recording studio.

I have to tell you, The Blue Moo is absolutely adorable! My senior mom is going to love it because of the 50’s flavor. My grandkids are going to love it because of the cute songs. And I’M GOING TO LOVE IT because of so many of my favorite singers AND the cute songs AND the special Sandra Boynton touch! As a matter of fact, I’m getting it today! And can’t wait! How about you? 

As a matter of fact, thanks to Workman Publishing, you can have the Personal Penguin song “to have for ever and ever” (or at least until your computer crashes – so don’t forget to back up often ). This is the same song as above, but at the Workman site, with a link to an mp3 download for Personal Penguin. Scroll down to just below the words DAVY JONES to the words “Right-click here and select “save link as…”" Your grandkids are going to love it and your elderly parents might even like it as well. Enjoy!