Rhinoceros Tap: 15 Seriously Silly Songs (Book & CD) [Hardcover]

Sandra Boynton (Author), Michael Ford (Composer)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Book & CD

Redesigned. Reformatted. Remastered. Resequenced. Ready for Re-release. And it was already great to begin with!

Before there was Philadelphia Chickens, the #1 New York Times and Publishers Weekly children's bestseller with 319,000 copies in print, there was Rhinoceros Tap, the collection of seriously silly songs. Now Rhinoceros Tap returns in an all-new package to mirror Philadephia Chickens, with a spiffy audio CD. Written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton and with music by Boynton and Michael Ford, the same team that created Philadelphia Chickens, it's a read-along, sing-along, dance-along, oink-along collection of truly delightful children's music. There's "O, Lonely Peas," to appeal to the finicky young eater. The five-year-old's lament, "Bad Babies" ("They whine and they bite, they chew on your toys/And oh, do they make the most terrible noise"). "Tickle Time." "The Crabby Song." A mouse's impassioned ballad to his beloved, "I Love You More Than Cheese." And "Barnyard Dance," the song that was launched by the board book dear to the hearts of more than a million young readers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 4. Best-selling greeting card artist Sandra Boynton expands her repertoire with this wonderfully zany collection of songs for children. Lyrics by Boynton and musical composition by Boynton and Michael Ford have produced such toe-tapping numbers as the Big Band style "Rhinoceros Tap"; a traditional sailor song in which the sailor piggies sing about their captain; a calypso tune in which a moose sings about how much more he likes Alaska than the sandy tropics; the square-dance style "Barnyard Dance" ("Bow to the horse/ Bow to the cow/ Twirl with the pig/if you know how"); a mousy love song, "I Love You More Than Cheese"; and several other equally whimsical numbers incorporating rock, blues, doo-wop, and traditional rounds. Adam Bryant does a magnificent job singing each of the ditties, accompanied by professional instrumentalists on keyboards and synthesizers. The lyrics in the book are accompanied by generous color illustrations of Boynton's trademark hippos, piggies, dogs, cats, mice, barnyard animals, etc. At the back of the book are simple scores for each song, including the melody line in the treble clef and chord markings. Children and adults will enjoy listening to the songs over and over, while pouring over the lyrics and illustrations in the book.
Beverly Bixler, El Paso Public Library,
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Perk Up Your Ears!

From the Iniminiminimitable Sandra Boynton come 15 quirky and captivating songs for kids.

TaDAAAAA! Here at looong last is the impatiently awaited release of RHINOCEROS TAP, Sandra Boynton's first book/recording set—completely redesigned, and now with a spiffy CD instead of a cranky old cassette tape. (Cassette tapes are SO Last Millenium)

The terrific musical theater actor Adam Bryant performs with zest and subtlety these 15 unpredictable original songs. This exuberant set is the perfect companion volume to the #1 national bestseller, Philadelphia Chickens.

With lyrics and pictures by Boynton and music written with and played by the one and only Michael Ford (actually, there are probably quite a few Michael Fords, but this one is a really good musician), these songs have the style, swing, charm, and pizzazz that little listeners deserve.

Read along! Sing along! Oink along! Or maybe just listen.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761133232
• ISBN-13: 978-0761133230
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Performing Arts > Dance
  • #31 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Lieder & Art Songs
  • #48 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Music

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Fun !, March 28, 2001

By 

SEVGÝ BAYRAK (Istanbul, TURKEY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhinoceros Tap: And 14 Other Seriously Silly Songs (Hardcover)

I wondered much while ordering "Rhinoceros Tap" , as my 3 years old boy doesn't know English and this was expected to be his first sing & song book. But now I think that it was the best choice I could have done for the beginning. My boy liked it very much. It's really funny for parents too. Sometimes I listen to the songs when my boy isn't at home. He likes the animals singing, he likes to dance with them and we mostly sing and dance together. I recommend this book to parents all over the world.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as Philedalphia Chickens, May 6, 2005

By 

Michele Slack "book bean" (Lehi, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rhinoceros Tap: 15 Seriously Silly Songs (Book & CD) (Hardcover)

We loved Philedalphia Chickens so much we bought this one. We were rather diappointed. While it's better than most kids music out there, it isn't nearly as good as Chickens. My son only listens to this as background music, doesn't get into, sing or recognize any of the songs. Philedalphia Chickens is a much better choice.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Show tunes for kids, December 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rhinoceros Tap: And 14 Other Seriously Silly Songs (Hardcover)

My 2 1/2 yr old son, already a fan of Boynton's magic, was enthralled by the book and accompanying tape. The songs are witty and easy to learn, and the music doesn't grate on an adult's ear the way some children's songs do. Once again, Sandra Boynton has done a great job of interweaving learning and fun! Particular favorties: Oh, Lonely Peas, Tickle Time, and So Long, Doggies. When I put my son to bed the other night, he said to me "Mommy, I love you more than cheese" This book and tape combination has really made an impression!

(My only 'complaint' - it would be great if there was also a CD version.)