The animal song

PreS-Gr 1--When their animal friends hibernate for the winter, a talented trio of performers decides to keep the music going. With each Snap, Poom-Poom, and Jingle-Jangle, the crocodile-bear-weasel band discovers that they no longer have an audience. Instead of hunkering down for the winter themselves, they decide to move their music to town, where they find eager listeners. When spring comes, the three friends are exhausted and ready for a long nap, while the rest of the forest wonders where the music has gone. This simple and sweet tale is well patterned with a refrain that younger readers will adopt. The catchy tune that accompanies the story is the strongest element of this offering and will have young listeners singing along in no time. Throughout the text, the rhyme scheme often feels forced and the rhythm is also affected in a few places by awkward page layout. In addition, even students that are intrigued with the premise might be confused by the presence of a crocodile in the forest, as well as animals that play both natural and anthropomorphized roles. Themes of hibernation, friendship, and the power of music, however, could make this a solid read-aloud for younger audiences. VERDICT Despite some flaws, this will pair nicely with the original song for a music-themed story time.--Louie Lauer

An unlikely band makes music in woods and town. Blocky graphic illustrations introduce a crocodile, a bear, and a weasel as an enthusiastic musical trio. Color-coded text signals "Snap" in green for the croc's snare drum, "Poom-poom" in brown to accompany the bear's bass, and an orange "Jingle-jangle" for the weasel's banjo--together, "Snap-poom-jingle jangle" makes for a fun, onomatopoeic refrain to their upbeat, earnest animal song. The cheerful, anthropomorphic crew won't quit for winter, but the rest of the forest is winding down ("Shh, now, please, we want to go to bed!"), and as they pop in on a squirrel, a badger, a bat, and others, they find themselves cast out of the woods and into town with their show, at the suggestion of a rat. The band's positivity and determination are welcomed by the animals who live in town, but after a season of daily playing on a street corner, the crocodile, the bear, and the weasel finally tire themselves. As spring arrives, they decide to return to the woods. There's no big message here, but the dedication of the animals may be quietly inspiring to some. For others, there's a subtle lesson about moderation as the trio settle in for a spring hibernation when their friends start emerging from winter naps. An appended musical score and lyrics make this ripe for the truly musical, with plenty of extension opportunities for interested educators. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A happy, harmonious collection of words and images. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.