The Animal Song

From musician and author/artist Jonty Howley comes a lively celebration of friendship and music, perfect for a gentle nighttime read. The story comes with a link to an original song by the author!

Snap! Poom-poom! Jingle-Jangle! Three talented animals–a crocodile playing a snare drum, a big brown bear with a bass, and a weasel with a banjo–form a traveling band to sing and play for the other animals in the woods. From spring to fall, they always attract an eager crowd. But when winter comes, the animals in the audience go off to bed and the band searches for a new stage. Skipping their own bedtime, the musical trio parades through the forest, moving on to the next performance until–Snore! Phew! Grumble-grumble!–even the band falls asleep.

A rhythmic text interspersed with onomatopoeia make the story in The Animal Song nicely noisy until the very end when–shh!–everyone is asleep. Featuring a website with original music composed by the author/illustrator, this book is perfect for helping young readers to get their sillies out right before it’s time to sleep!