Philadelphia Chickens: A Too-Illogical Zoological Musical Revue

by Sandra Boynton

You have to hear it to believe it. And even then, it may take a while.
Grammy nominee. #1 New York Times bestseller. And, with 1 million copies in print, a Recording Industry Association of America Platinum album. What an event! What a show! It’s Philadelphia Chickens—the catchy and quirky, tuneful and toe-tapping, exuberant, unexpected, and totally endearing family-musical-in-a-book.

Here is a full-color songbook of 17 1/2 illustrated story-poems, and a full-length, fully orchestrated CD of original songs performed by such luminaries as 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, 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, Philadelphia Chickens is that rarest of kids' musical discs—one whose inimitable lyrics and music make it as irresistible to parents as it is to their children.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Music, Humor, Animals, Fiction, Poetry

64 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2002

About the author

Sandra Keith Boynton is an American humorist, songwriter, director, music producer, children's author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated over eighty-five books for children and seven general audience books, as well as over four thousand greeting cards, and seven music albums. She has also designed calendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys for various companies.

Reviews

[Luann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Boynton and Ford really stepped it up for Philadelphia Chickens! This still has the expected "serious silliness" that I enjoyed so much in Rhinoceros Tap: 15 Seriously Silly Songs With CD (Audio) , but they somehow brought it to an even higher level. As I listened to the songs, nearly each one immediately inspired ideas for how it could be used in a classroom, library, or home setting. What a fun, fun book of songs!

Some favorites, if I were forced to pick just a few, are: "Cows" (I can see cow puppets singing along to this as part of a library puppet show!), "Snuggle Puppy" (Ah! Such a sweet and tender song!), "Faraway Cookies" (I can picture a group of older kids learning and loving this one), and "Pajama Time" (If I had kids, this is one that would be fun to sing to them each night). And those are just a few of the great songs in this book. Highly recommended!

Next I want to read/listen to Blue Moo : 15 All-New Jukebox Hits From Way Back Never.

[Jaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids? This is supposed to be for kids? I mean, okay, my kids like it, too, but this is mine. "Ooh, belly button, you're oh-so fine; ooh, belly button, I'm so happy you're mine." Hey, and it's a good message, too.

Philadelphia Chickens makes me grin and bounce and sing along and dance. The world needs more of that.

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this when my now 16 year old son was around one or two. He would never admit it now, but he absolutely LOVED dancing to this CD. Ihave so many wonderful memories watching him so I bough copies for my three year old nephews. Sandra Boynton is still one of my alk-time favorite author & artist

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has some of the cutest kids songs I've ever heard. I especially love "Snoozing," and "Bob." My kids and I listen to this CD all the time and follow along with the book.

[David Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fan. Tas. Tic.

On so many levels. My 7 grands can sing all the words to all the songs, and I had never heard the album/book. So I did. Top drawer stuff. Levels and levels of humor, even for Boomers.

[Caitlin Denney]

Awards: None
Grade Levels: K-3
Summary: This song book has lots of artists like Meryl Strep and Kevin Bacon who have recorded fun, relatable kids songs of all genres! Kids can follow along with the lyrics or just look at the fun illustrations for each song and have a blast dancing, singing, and laughing.
Review: This book has a song for every mood. It is easy to follow along and super fun to sing and dance to. I love it!
Class Uses: Firstly, all of the songs rhyme so kids can practice word families and phonological awareness with fun, silly situations and lyrics. Kids can also practice reading along as the words are sung which helps them learn vocabulary and increase reading rate. It is also a fun way to start or end the day with a dance and song break.

[Sophia F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid and continue to laugh at it even to this day. The illustrations are very funny and the songs and stories that go along with them are equally as amusing. I’d definitely recommend this book, CD, and other works by this author.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can actually find a CD player in your house... or an external hard drive so that you can rip it... this book and CD combo is awesome. "Snuggle Puppy," "BusyBusyBusy," and "Fifteen Animals" are my favorites.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun songs to listen to with your children, and you don't have to worry about questionable lyrics or themes. But it's not little kiddie music, either. The pictures that go along with each song a fun, too. I enjoy the various artists who perform on these Sandra Boyton CD/book combinations.

[Jessica Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one has a couple gems, but also some songs that are kinda sub par. I enjoyed this book as a kid, but it is really best enjoyed with the CD that accompanies the book. We also just enjoyed the CD alone. The book by itself isn't fantastic, but the illustrations are cute.

[Jude · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never heard the CD that comes with this book, so I had no idea what tune to carry. I just made them all up. I read some as poems.

I was partial to "Snuggle Puppy."

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to put this book on Broadway and I want to write the libretto!

[Simon]

Funny book that was used a lot when our kids were small. My favorite is Snuggle Bunny.

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked. Little one highly objected.

[Bonnie Arriola · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

They love bopping around to the songs.

[Lindi Goins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good music for kids

[Julie D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST HAVE, THE MUSIC IS SPECTACULARLY FUN

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 Childhood nostalgia - and my son loves these songs as well!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I read every Sandra Boynton book as a kid (not this one though), so this was fun to flip through.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning more about Sandra Boynton's creativity and process in this Grammy nominee "Philadelphia Chickens"! What a cast of characters and stellar performers.

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philadelphia Chickens is a great children’s book, both for reading and listening to at home as well as in the classroom. The illustrations are hilarious and very colorful; drawing the reader into the illustration before the song begins, then singing the song that goes perfectly along with each illustration. Since I've spent a lot of time in different classrooms, I can imagine kids jumping around and singing these songs, as I wanted to get up and dance to the songs myself! I wasn't very crazy over “Nobody Understands Me” and “Those Dinosaur Blues” being as they weren't upbeat and I didn't feel as attached to these songs although some students may take a liking to them! I would absolutely love to use “Pajama Time” and “Silly Lullaby” for my future children’s bedtime, they are perfect! I also love that in the back of the book it has the notes to play along with an instrument, it would be a perfect way for children to learn to play instruments being as its fairly simple, and who wouldn't want to show off playing an instrument along with this book and CD to their friends? I know I would!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A work of genius. And very ear wormy. Last weekend, I neglected to notice (let alone eavesdrop on) the Human Drama that was taking place at the next table over because I was too busy singing "Pig Island." Brian had to point it out to me later.

These songs are a bit of an inside joke -- still fun if you don't get the joke and a riot if you do. At 2 1/2 Paul doesn't get the joke, but he does like cows and there's a song about cows so he's on board. And even without the CD, the songbook still works for performative readers. If you do know musical theater or different musical styles, you can pretty much guess from the pictures what SB was going for and make up a tune to fit. I made up my own tunes (bad ones, but what the heck) before we had a chance to listen to the CD and my kid isn't critical.

A fun introduction to music for kids. Some genuinely sweet songs. Some genuinely funny songs. Smart enough to age up well. There's nothing not to like.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

These songs are too clever for words. So I'll just say that my kids gobbled them up immediately and had them memorized the week after my brother gave us this book and CD for Christmas. Where has this been all of my children's lives? Of the 19 songs, I skip over number 2 (the sultry-voiced vocalist kind of annoys me) and adore the rest. I actually put the CD in myself on occasion--it's really adult music disguised as kids' songs (in the spirit of the Boynton board books themselves).

If you already have the Boynton board books, you've got to borrow this book from the library if only to hear song# 6 Snuggle Puppy, and song# 18 Pajama Time. With a cast of performers like: Meryl Streep, Laura Linney, Kevin Kline, The Bacon Brothers, and The Seldom Herd (I wonder if Sandra Boynton herself was part of the last two groups), you can't go wrong, right?

[Arolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comes with a CD, which is great for word recognition. The repetition in the songs helps our son to see the word and hear it over and over. I like this version of rote learning. It makes the practice fun, and it is easier to get him to follow along if the material is wacky and fun. If your child has a short attention span, this one might not work for more than 1-2 stories at a time. I am constantly looking for reading aids so that our son will be able to listen on his own, and find his own connection with the cadence of reading. I think children should have some go-to tools like audio-CDs to match their books, so they learn independently and with adults. I have found it to be very empowering if our child gets to follow along with books he already feels comfortable around.

[Dawn Siemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My God. If you have kids, you *must* get this book. Copy the CD, so you have a backup. Rip the CD, so you have all the music on your mp3 player for the car. It is *that* awesome.

If you don't have kids, but you like to play a musical instrument but aren't very good at it, you should still get this book. It has the music to all the songs, simple enough to play with one hand on a toy piano.

If you are a parent, you're probably tired of the usual kid music, over and over. This is one you won't get tired of, because it's hilarious. Plus, it has real musicians on it, some of whom you'll probably recognize.

If you already have the CD, buy the book because the pictures are cute and all the words to the songs are there. Your kids will love it. You will too.

[Charleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to know whether to give it a five (my kids LOVE THIS!) or a 4, because after 3-4 months of constant recitation, I am perhaps tiring a bit... Boynton takes her characteristic mesh of kid-humour, and kid-perspective blended with nostalgic-style arrangements of surprising musical quality... Many long car trips have been made shorter because of this cd. Some classics - the celtic style "chocolate chip cookie" song, modeled after a lost-love genre. "Busy Busy Busy" and "Cows" as well as the belly-button song. Anyway, even after we return it to the library, it will never leave us.

[Karetchko]

Once upon a time, I came home from work with a weird message on my answering machine...a little song called Snuggle Puppy. I thought my husband/snugglepuppy Adam put it there. He knew nothing about it. A few days later, the message was there again.

Through the joy of *69, I figured out that my sister had recorded the message. She told me about this book/CD combination, I went out and bought it, and I've bought it for lots of people since then.

The songs are catchy and funny, and there's sheet music if you need it.

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great music and fun pictures - we have listened to this CD so much we know all of the songs by heart. We put the CD in our oldest daughter's CD alarm clock and it plays for us every evening.

December 2015 update: We purchased this book for our niece for Christmas during her visit with my brother-in-law just before Christmas. We listened to the CD every night during her visit and enjoyed dancing and singing along with the music. It's been a few years since we listened to it, but we still remember the songs by heart.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great album and book! Parents and kids will enjoy reading the book and listening to the music. My niece and nephew loved these songs when they were as young as two, and I love listening to them on my own (I'm in my thirties). These are songs that stick in my head and make me smile!

(Just a note: I don't think Philadelphia Chickens is quite as good as Dog Train. Philadelphia Chickens is great. But Dog Train is brilliant. So if you like Philadelphia Chickens, you should definitely get Dog Train! And if you love Dog Train, just know that Philadelphia Chickens is great, but different.)