Blue Moo: 17 Jukebox Hits From Way Back Never (Hardcover)

by Sandra Boynton (Author), Michael Ford (Composer)
Key Phrases: moo wah, banana nana, hippo today, Sandra Boynton, Look While You Listen, Michael Ford (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up—Boynton is at it again, celebrating music with a CD/book kit that's filled with lots of '50s-style fun. She's urging her audience to gather 'round for "17 Jukebox Hits from Way Back Never," sung by a cast of recognizable names from that era. Well, they'll certainly be recognized by the grandparents, anyway. But grandparents, parents, and children alike can enjoy this collection as they listen to such classics as "One Shoe Blues," sung by none other than B.B. King; "Blue Moo," sung by Steve Lawrence; and three numbers by "The Uninvited Loud Precision Band." There's "Speed Turtle," sung in pure Beach Boys-style by Brian Wilson; "With You," a '50s-style love song by Bobby Vee; and "Rabbit Tango," performed with great verve and panache by Patti Lupone. "About the Singers" includes a photo, biography, and past hits for each artist, even those who are fictitious. Each song is labeled in jukebox fashion: A-1 through A-14. As she did with Philadelphia Chickens (Workman, 2002), Boynton has combined a roster of celebrity singers, good humor, and lots of creativity for a gift of music and fun for every member of the family.—Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
Put a nickel in the jukebox, assuming you can locate a jukebox, and that you remember what a nickel is. Here's legendary Beach Boy Brian Wilson singing lead and 10-part harmonies on "Speed Turtle." The incomparable Neil Sedaka crooning "Your Nose." B. B. King brings you a wistful "One Shoe Blues," Gerry and the Pacemakers offer "Mersey Lullaby," and relative newcomer (in this seasoned company) Patti LuPone of "Evita" fame sings—what else—the "Rabbit Tango." And then there's the hit single from Boynton's Your Personal Penguin sung by the impossibly cute Davy Jones of The Monkees. I mean jeepers, even Sha Na Na is here.

So roll over, Beethoven—and Lieber and Stoller. Boynton & Ford once again bring great words, great music, great performers to children and vintage children alike. And OH! The book! Boynton has filled it with all things 50s and 60s. And, well, golly, it’s so happy and colorful and just terrific, Mister! Grab your saddle shoes, plunk two straws into that swell chocolate malt, and let's twist again like we did last century.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761147756
• ISBN-13: 978-0761147756
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,254 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "If there's a rabbit, then you should grab it", January 30, 2008

By	Linda Bulger (Avon, Maine) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

My first copy of PHILADELPHIA CHICKENS was a gift for my granddaughters. We all enjoyed it so much that I bought three more copies -- each one for myself but impulsively given away.

Now I have BLUE MOO, and I'm keeping it for myself, so don't even hint for it.

You may know Sandra Boynton's impressive children's books but this music thing she has going on is something else again. "Renegade children's music," she calls it. BLUE MOO is subtitled "17 Jukebox Hits from Way Back Never," and trust me, you don't need children around to enjoy it.

Boynton collaborated with composer Michael Ford on these 17 fractured hits, and she mustered another stellar group of performers for the CD.

Patti LuPone shines on "Rabbit Tango," and yes, that's the amazing B.B. King delivering the goods with "One Shoe Blues." Christopher Kale Jones of JERSEY BOYS fame croons "Singing In The Shower."

When was the last time you heard a new release from veteran Neil Sedaka? Here he is in great doo-wop form with "Your Nose." And speaking of doo-wop, we have Sha Na Na singing "Gorilla Song" ("Banana nana nana nana, na na na"). Bobby Vee takes you down memory lane with the sentimental "With You," and John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting with a beautifully syncopated track named "Big Band Sound."

How about "Speed Turtle":

>> It's a ... Speed Turtle. Whoa-ho!
>> It's a ... Speed Turtle. Oh, no!
>> Man alive, it's in overdrive.
>> Go, little turtle, go go.

Yes, that's Brian Wilson, who else? And while I'm stating the obvious, "Mersey Lullaby" is (of course) recorded by Gerry & The Pacemakers.

The title tune is offered twice, once by Steve Lawrence and in a jazzed up "Blue Moo '62" version by a house "girl group."

Did you ever think of teaching a hippo to swing dance? "When A Hippo Can Dance" signals the idea:

>> If you have a hippo you love very much,
>> Yet you find it has one or two faults --
>> Such as sleeping too late, such as making you wait --
>> I suggest that you teach it to waltz.

The 18 tracks on this CD (yes, 18, notwithstanding the subtitle) will get your toes tapping, get you up dancing in fact. What fun!

Oh, and did I explain that there's a book too? A very entertaining illustrated songbook; which is handy because you won't want to miss a lyric.

Sandra Boynton produces a wonderfully creative project that the whole family will enjoy. You'll want to get your own; I'm definitely keeping mine.

Linda Bulger, 2008

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD for all ages, November 6, 2007

By	Howard J. Tucker "Financing" (Staten Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I originally bought "Blue Moo" for my friend's 7-year-old granddaughter, but I'm enjoying it just as much as she at nearly 57. Hearing Neil Sedaka on "Your Nose" brings me back to "Oh Carol" and "Calendar Girl", Bobby Vee's "With You" evokes memories of "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes", and "Blue Moo", the title cut, takes me back to Steve Lawrence's performance of "Go Away Little Girl" on a freezing night in January, 1963 on a telethon where an adorable young girl actually thought Lawrence was telling her to "go away, little girl"!! Sha Na Na, the Beach Boys, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Davey Jones--my childhood all over again.

But maybe the most catchy of all is "Singing in the Shower" by relative newcomer Christopher Kale Jones. For a few minutes, Jones brings back the great Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with his flawless tone and falsetto, singing a ditty whose beat reminds me of the Seasons' timeless "Sherry". Close your eyes and you'll think it's October, 1962 all over again with NY's Cousin Brucie on WABC AM radio.

I urge anyone considering buying to check out the video on www.sandraboynton.com to hear some marvelous snippets and see what these amazing legends look and sound like today! As a bonus, we're rewarded with author Sandra Boynton's daughter Darcy singing the female version of "Blue Moo" and young Jones wowing us with "Singing in the Shower"--in fact, this morning I was singing in the shower "Singing in the Shower"....

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great recording from Boynton and Ford, October 30, 2007

By	Michele Gill (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My four year old son loves Boynton and Ford's music CD/book combos. We listen to them in the car while he holds onto the book, admiring the pictures and trying to read the lyrics. Blue Moo just arrived in the mail yesterday--to our great excitement--so we've only listened to it a couple of times, but it already has captured his interest. His favorite song is a repeated joke about an uninvited marching band playing such real marching band music that you will think a parade is passing by your house. The band invades a house, a grocery store (and proceeds to go up and down every aisle, which happened to be named for all the letters of the alphabet), even one's dreams at night ("A Parade! A Parade! We're the Uninvited Prestigious Marching Band!). Boyton's trademark humor and adorable pictures are all here, along with a great cast of singers. I am not sure, though, whether this is going to be my son's favorite CD as we are very partial to the rock and roll stylings of Dogtrain. Blue Moo has a 50s jukebox feel, and although there are some great dancing songs, it doesn't seem to have quite the variety of the other compilations. I am concerned that the 50s sound might grow a bit old. I'd love for Boynton to make another rock and roll album, especially for us parents who have to listen to these CDs repeatedly.

All in all, this is another great addition to our growing Boynton and Ford collection, and I look forward to hearing the Gorilla song (sung by Sha Na Na--the word banana is repeated over and over), Your Personal Penguin, The Shower Song (you can hear the water running during the chorus) and others for months to come.