Sing

by Joe Raposo, Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)

Overview

"Sing! Sing a song. Sing out loud, sing out strong."

So begins a song first made popular on Sesame Street, then interpreted by singers of every style, from Gloria Estefan to the Dixie Chicks to R.E.M., as well as famous personalities such as Conan O'Brien, Katie Couric, Nathan Lane, and Liam Neeson.

Now, bestselling children's book illustrator Tom Lichtenheld has put a visual story to this timeless and universal song that celebrates perseverence, self-expression, and the power of music to help each of us find our voice.

A CD with three songs is included: “Sing!” “Somebody Come and Play,” and “One of These Things.” Music by Joe Raposo. Songs performed by Becca Kauffman with The Midnight Sun Ensemble.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466844445
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	05/28/2013
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Joe Raposo was a celebrated composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer, and lyricist best known for his work on Sesame Street. He served as musical director for Sesame Street from its inception through the late 1970s. He also wrote songs for Frank Sinatra and many television shows, such as Three’s Company.

 

Tom Lichtenheld is the New York Times–bestselling illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. He lives in Illinois.

Editorial Reviews

"Sing! Sing a song. Sing out loud, sing out strong." Joe Raposo's 1971 song first became a Sesame Street hit, then multiplied in adaptations by the Carpenters, the Boston Pops, Kristin Chenoweth, Julie Andrews, and Carol Burnett. In this book and CD package, Raposo and artist Tom Lichtenheld join voices to celebrate the song in a new way. In addition to a colorful visual story, Sing is presented in a rousing audio CD that also includes two other songs: "Somebody Come and Play" and "One of These Things." (P.S. The songs are performed by Becca Kauffman and The Midnight Sun Ensemble.)

The lyrics to the late Raposo’s beloved song, popularized on Sesame Street in the 1970s, form the basis for this picture-book interpretation from Lichtenheld (Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site), in which a small purple bird has difficulty finding its own song. The wordless opening pages show three birds in a nest; the first two chirp musical notes and fly off, but the third can’t muster a sound, its speech bubbles empty. Along comes a boy with a guitar, who strums as the lyrics to the song begin: “Sing,/ Sing a song./ Sing out loud,/ Sing out strong.” As the boy plays and sings, musical notes rise up and literally buoy the bird (and its nest), lifting them aloft until the bird is able to fly and sing for itself, and rejoin its companions. It’s an effective visual metaphor for the way that music can be a form of support. A CD recording of the song is included, as are English and Spanish lyrics and a note from Raposo’s son, Nick. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Agent: Amy Rennert, the Amy Rennert Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

For young and old, the text recalls a theme of courage and self-acceptance with easy-to-follow imagery. Everyone will want to sing along.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“A picture-book celebration of a Sesame Street favorite.” —Booklist

“A loving tribute.” —Kirkus Reviews

“As the boy plays and sings, musical notes rise up and literally buoy the bird (and its nest), lifting them aloft until the bird is able to fly and sing for itself, and rejoin its companions. It's an effective visual metaphor for the way that music can be a form of support.” —Publishers Weekly

“The creator of Bridget's Beret offers here another appealing story featuring a plucky heroine. Applying a full-color palette to his watercolor, ink, and colored-pencil cartoons, Lichtenheld makes use of varying page space and panel techniques to add subtle details to his narrative.” —Booklist on Cloudette

“Hilarious. . . . A witty, well-shaped story . . . and a clever homage to many of the Great Artists and their works, from Leonardo to Warhol.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review on Bridget's Beret

“Lichtenheld's detailed and textured illustrations, rendered in wax oil pastels on vellum paper, perfectly complement the fun, rhyming text, cleverly personifying each truck with expressive eyes and amusing details.” —School Library Journal on Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

“A standout picture book.” —Booklist, starred review on Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

“Text and illustrations are intimately wedded in this fun, interactive read-aloud. The bold lines and bright colors in Lichtenheld's illustrations are a visually pleasing match for the bantering text.” —School Library Journal on Duck! Rabbit!

From the Publisher

The simplest and arguably best Sesame Street song serves as text to an almost equally elemental storyline in which music serves as the wind beneath a little bird's wings. Lichtenheld opens with a set of wordless spreads. In a nest on a branch suspended in space against a pale wash of blue, a fledgling sees its two sibs sing a note and fly away. Noteless, sad and alone, the bird sits--until a lad with a guitar (and early Bob Dylan hair) saunters into view, takes a seat down below and unself-consciously ripples out notes. These shatter the nest and send the bird soaring to join its sibs in a buoyant chorus. Along with being strung out in short phrases to accompany the illustrations, the song's words are recapped at the end--both in English and in a partial Spanish translation--with all the "La-la-la-la-la"s added. The book closes with an image of the original manuscript with a note from the composer's son. (A musical arrangement is absent, but it's probably superfluous anyway, so well-known is this song.) Boy and birds alike sing with infectious joy in this loving tribute, and the 3-song CD that comes with it is a nifty bonus. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews