Philadelphia Chickens: A Too-Illogical Zoological Musical Revue [Hardcover]

Sandra Boynton (Author), Michael Ford (Collaborator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

What an event! What a show! It's catchy and quirky. Tuneful and toe-tapping. Exuberant, unexpected, and utterly endearing. It's what happens when you take America's beloved illustrator and children's author and combine her buoyant genius with some of the most talented people on the stage—presenting Philadelphia Chickens!

Created by Sandra Boynton, Philadelphia Chickens is a family musical in a book, bringing together a full-color songbook of 17 1/2 illustrated story-poems with a full-length, fully orchestrated CD of original songs performed by the likes of Patti LuPone, Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, The Bacon Brothers, and Laura Linney, who pleads "Please, Can I Keep It?"—it followed me home. / What exactly it is/ I don't know. Also joining in are Eric Stoltz, Natasha Richardson, Scott Bakula, and two Boyntons, including daughter Caitlin McEwan, who performs a piece that every little listener will relate to—a love song to the chocolate chip cookies that are just out of reach. With the collaboration of composer Michael Ford (known to Boynton fans from Rhinoceros Tap), Philadelphia Chickens is that rarest of kids' musical discs—one whose inimitable lyrics and music make it as sing-along, dance-along, cluck-along for parents as it is for their children.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sandra Boynton, long heralded for her menagerie of animal characters (Moo, Baa, La La La; Rhinoceros Tap), puts a fresh cast of singing, dancing critters center stage-from the titular boogying chickens to a tail-wagging "snuggle puppy"-in Philadelphia Chickens, a book-and-CD package billed as an "imaginary musical revue." The first 32 pages contain lyrics and illustrations, the second half of the book includes musical notation and additional lyrics for each song. An all-star cast, including Meryl Streep, Laura Linney, Eric Stoltz and the Bacon Brothers, headlines the musical recording, which features a variety of original show tunes penned by Boynton and composed by Boynton and frequent collaborator Michael Ford.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Lions and tigers ... and dancing pigs? Welcome to the magical menagerie of author Sandra Boynton." -- People Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (October 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761126368
• ISBN-13: 978-0761126362
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (167 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Music
  • #27 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Farm Animals

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheers for the Chickens!!, November 26, 2002

By 

M. B Hazen "Madge Bruner Hazen" (Jacksonville, Fla.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philadelphia Chickens: A Too-Illogical Zoological Musical Revue (Hardcover)

Before I could listen to the rest of the CD that comes with the song book, imaginatively illustrated and presented, a friend of mine practically snatched out of my hands to hear what I'd been raving about. My introduction to "The Philadelphia Chickens" was on the TODAY SHOW (pre-Christmas 2002). I never heard a word about it after the interview so I surmised that the "Chickens" was tossed on a stack with the myriad of books released for the big holiday rush. Being a musician and a collector of Broadway musical scores, I found this to be a "kiddie" musical. The lyrics are clever and sung with integrity. The sound is big and expansive. All the songs are slightly nutty, but have very plausible messages, like the girl who is too short to reach the chocolate chip cookies, and the ardvaark who think's he should be in the "dancing cow line". So far I've bought three copies. And parents! This won't drive you crazy either. In fact, I bet after the tree comes down and the kids return to school, dad will have that CD in his car for a nice chuckle on the way to work. The piano music and lyrics are part of the boook, "Philadelphia Chickens", with fanciful stories and illustrations. It's intelligent, too!! It will make such a welcome, refreshing gift or just an enduring book and CD designed to bring smiles to all. (Or, except as the author says on the cover, "to everyone except those who are 43!")
And, speaking from a childhood experience, if your little one is home sick in bed, these songs and stories will make a loving get-well tonic.

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cute!, October 22, 2002

By 

Clarissa R. Knight (Savannah, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philadelphia Chickens: A Too-Illogical Zoological Musical Revue (Hardcover)

I think our children and grandchildren will regard Sandra Boynton as we and our parents regard Dr. Seuss. As usual, her stories are adorable. I saw highlights on the today show this morning and had to go buy it today. My daughter's a little young for it (7 months) but her 2 year old friends loved the music. It's a children's CD I like and do not find annoying (such as those by that purple creature).

The book is well done. There is a page for each of the songs with an illustration. There is also sheet music and lyrics for each song in the back of the book.

I'm sure we'll cherish this one for years to come!

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marvelous Manic Romp....., November 21, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philadelphia Chickens: A Too-Illogical Zoological Musical Revue (Hardcover)

It's a dazzling, illustrated book. It's a rollicking musical. It's Sandra Boynton at her very best as she and collaborator, Michael Ford, bring their "imaginary musical revue," Philadelphia Chickens, to life on your stage. Open the book as the curtain goes up, and follow along as you listen to an all-star cast on the accompanying CD. Or meet at the piano to sing and play along, using the words and music in part two of the book. Ms Boynton's clever lyrics are rich in humor and wit, and complemented by her endearing bold, bright and busy, signature animal illustrations. Philadephia Chickens is an exuberant, fun-filled, manic romp that engages and captivates, and "youngsters" from 3 to 93 will revel in all the fun.