tara recommends Sing by Tom Lichtenheld

I love story books that allow you to sing along.  At the top of my list in this category, I would include any Iza Trapani book, Ashley Bryan's All Things Bright and Beautiful, and any book that has a good jumprope rhyme (i.e. Miss Mary Mack by Mary Ann Hoberman).  We even love the less traditional books with song, such as Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas.  Somehow it just seems fail proof to entertain kids with song.  Because of my love of all things musical, I was very excited for Tom Lichtenheld's new book, Sing.

I grew up listening to The Carpenter's version of Sing, then with kids came the Sesame Street version.  I was excited to see what you could do with a song that is sweet and endearing, but doesn't have much of a story.  I was not disappointed.

The soft colors and abundant white space perfectly balance the pictures in this book and showcase the little bird in his effort to find his song.  The bright yellow cover just begs you to pick it up and sing along.  While the first pages of this book are wordless, the expression on the little bird's face are priceless.  His frustration is palpable as he fails to sing a song to match his friends' tune.  Luckily, someone comes along to help him with his problem, and by the end of the book, the three birds are singing in perfect harmony.

This story is short and sweet and a pleasure to read (or sing).  Tom Lichtenheld has drawn another great picture book and I will be plucking it off the shelf often for a little burst of happiness.  The dust jacket is perfectly suited for the book, but you should take it off (briefly) to enjoy the beautifully embossed cover.

As an added bonus, included with the book is a CD with three songs written by Joe Raposo (including Sing), performed by Becca Kauffman with The Midnight Sun Ensemble.

Sing
by Tom Lichtenheld
published by Henry Holt and Co.
May 2013