This is a fun book that just begs to be used during a storytime with musical instruments and children creating their own band with found items, like the animals in the story. ( )

Boom Bah! by Phil Cummings, illustrated by Nina Rycroft. Oooooh, Miss Pattie, wait 'till you see this one! This is the PERFECT picturebook for a musical storytime with toddlers. Get out your noisemakers or do a craft making shakers and drums and then read this story and watch the delight erupt.....One by one, various animals find "instruments" in the kitchen, each one with a different sound, and create a band. I foresee hours of delight with the different pots and pans, the silly sounds, and identifying the different animals. Plus, the story is interactive! It tells you to play louder, softer, etc. and offers the opportunity to guess what's coming next. If you offer toddler storytime at your library, you MUST have this book!

ISBN: 978-1935279228; Published January 2010 by Kane Miller; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates

Farm animals -- from a farmhouse mouse to full livestock -- form a marching band with traditional instruments and household implements. Phil Cummings' text is simple, well-paced, and full of interesting repetitions and onomatopoeia. There is not a great deal of narrative to work with, but Nina Rycroft's illustrations are full of movement -- the animals nearly seem to dance off the page. This would be a very versatile book for either a school or public library. The simplicity of the text would make it a good choice as an easy reader. Likewise, the engaging illustrations and writing style would make it a good book for storytime, especially if one had the space and time for reenactment. ( )