We received this as a gift for our son after he was born. ALthough at first it didn't seem like something I would have chosen, it has become a favorite for us. He is now two and we still sing the songs and read the book together. I have learned some songs I didn't know and there are some more well known ones like "Itsy Bitsy Spider". We also sing these songs now without the book. Our friends have another book in this series but with different songs and I have been looking for it without any luck. I would buy it in a heartbeat, knowing how much use we've gotten out of this one. And it amazes me how long the batteries have lasted.
Silly Songs
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
ISBN 0785300546 - Interactive books always rate high with me because they go pretty far in drawing kids into reading. Silly Songs, as far as the text goes, hardly deserves a reward (the songs are, of course, well known, not original) but the illustrations by Jerry Tiritilli are gloriously colorful and fun and move the book out of the average. Songs are: Down by the Station, Bingo, Row Row Row Your Boat, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone, Do Your Ears Hang Low, The Eensy Weensy Spider, The Noble Duke of York, Pop! Goes the Weasel, Polly-Wolly-Doodle ans Be Kind to Your Web-Footed Friends (to the tune of Hurrah! for the Red, White and Blue). Each song and its illustrations takes up two facing pages, with the text in large letters. The buttons, when pressed, play the full song so that you and your child can sing along. The illustrations are every bit as silly as the songs. The replaceable batteries are a big plus in books like this since it would be a shame to throw it away when the batteries die! The pages are by no means sturdy - the book is for the 4-8 age group, and board books are generally behind them at this point - and, like any over-sized book, because the pages are large (they measure about 12" x 8 ¾") they tear easily in eager hands. Still worthwhile - the only thing more fun than singing silly songs is singing silly songs with Mom and/or Dad. Learning to recognize words happens more naturally when you're having fun, too! - AnnaLovesBooks
Fun book!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
My daughter received this as a birthday gift and quickly became her absolute favorite book. We love singing the songs together as a family.
Lovely illustrations, cute songs, sturdy pages
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
What more could you want from a book, other than that it stays in print. :-)Universally, my children have loved the Play-a-Song books. They are well illustrated, generally with animals playing the characters. The pages are sturdy, which is very important in a large book that they will want to study on their own. The songs are cute and with enough musicial detail to figure out the tune, even if unfamiliar with it previously. OTOH, over time, the volume fades so it's important to learn the songs.My children have learned simple matching skills by studying the books on their own. The buttons are a snippet of the illustration so they figure out the gist of what they're supposed to do to hear the appropriate song. They can review the songs on their own, over and over again, but they're fun to sing together too. I prefer the songbooks over the "hit the button for an illustrative sound" type of books because there is better continuity. I believe they can both be effective in teaching reading, but the song books make it more fun for both the parent and the child.
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