The vivid and fun illustrations of an accomplished illustrator and the two-member band provides provides a rich story and sound throughout this storybook and CD combination. It is particularly poignant in Hard Ball, as the strings flesh out the sound and give it a unique flavor for the rest of the recording. A more bluegrass feel is present in It's a Puzzle because the fiddling, and the steel guitar add country sound to the title track Chicken Joe. Most of the songs consist of rhyming couplets riddled with creativity and humor your child will love. The narrator of Boiled Okra and Spinach wants to know why he's being punished with food like fish 'with a thousand bones' cooked in asparagus. The final line to the chorus is sure to inspire giggles, "I'd rather eat boogers, than black eyed peas!" La La Land features eclectic sounds of banjo picking and various small percussion instruments, as well as silly rhyming lyrics like, "Awesome possum checking on a blossom," or "Hedgehog singing on a front porch swing, talking on a cell phone not saying a thing." The CD ends on a calmer song with a strong wooden block percussion beat behind a gentle piano tune in Count on Me. Despite being the soft rock song of the album, and portraying a message of friendship, loyalty, and unconditional love, humor is still included; "Count the freckles on your freckly face, or the hairs in your daddy's nose, but you can count on me, 'cause I'll always be your friend."
The creative and silly drawing and lyrics lend themselves to reading and singing along, or taking it a step further and adding your own words and music. Why I Pack My Lunch sings about crazy food combos like "Cream of tea bags", "lizard lips", and "Chocolate pudding that goes crunch." What sort of crazy lunch items can your child conjure up? Be prepared for a potential gross-out! Fill It Up is another song fun to add on to; the first verse is about filling up an ice cream cone, the second verse is about filling up the forest with trees, and the third verse is about getting taller (filling your body up, I suppose). What other things can your child think to fill up? Their tummy? Their room? Encourage creativity and marvel at your child's innovativeness! Something Sweet is about a parent who wants to say something sweet to their little one to help them stop crying. What words make child stop feeling sad? You may be pleasantly surprised by their responses. Your little one may relate to the song I Can Dance, which talks about someone who was too shy to dance originally, but he "got tired of waiting for my turn. I got up to dance!" The upbeat rock-style song will certainly encourage little listeners to do the same - get up and dance!
I read this storybook and listened to the CD with my five-year-old friend, Molly, for the first time. She thought the song, My Best Day, was hilarious - particularly the line, "I come home to a birthday surprise. My sister has been evicted and her room is mine!" The song shares all the things that would happen or be present on the narrator's 'best day', such as whip cream snow and chocolate rain. After the song, Molly wanted to tell me all the things that would be included in her best day. They consisted of "cookies for breakfast, a new Barbie, everyone wearing a dress - even boys, A Spongebob Squarepants marathon on TV, candy for lunch, the whole neighborhood playing freeze tag together, a new puppy..." trust me, the list was long, but certainly entertaining.
--Audra