Blue Baboon Finds Her Tune

July 8, 2022

PreS-Gr 2-This cute adventure story may be music to listeners' ears. A blue baboon locates an unused instrument and begins playing her own melody. Although interrupted by a rainstorm, the baboon strives to keep the music playing in a new land. The rhymes are so succinct they seem to have written themselves; "Orange moon, blue baboon./ Blue baboon/ spies bassoon." The baboon meets another friend, and they discover a way to share their musical talents together. The rhymes are perfectly written to convey movement from action to action; the purposeful vocabulary and delightful color enrich children's knowledge while capturing and keeping their attention. The matching font color to the objects strikes a high note as well. The heart balloon travels throughout, moving from the cat at the beginning of the story to another baboon at the end; it is a dazzling idea and may be a creative tool for a follow-up activity. What may this love represent? VERDICT Although considered a bedtime story, this lovely journey may be read anytime as it broadens vocabulary, expresses a love of music and learning, and demonstrates togetherness in social gatherings. Patrons will sing your praises.-Tanya Haynes

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2022
As it turns out, beauty is in the ear of the beholder. Blue Baboon wanders into a park and spots a musical combo playing. She sees a bassoon on its stand, scoops it up, and starts playing along. Sadly, she is not a natural, and an elephant, one of the musicians, takes the instrument away from her. After a storm puts an end to the music, Blue Baboon spies a sign for nighttime hot air balloon rides and takes off in one; as she does, the elephant hands (trunks?) the bassoon to her, and eventually she finds a new place to play her music--and a friend, Green Baboon, who appreciates her unusual sound. Though the rhyming text is spare, with just a few words per page ("Big monsoon, wet baboon"), there are many details in the vibrant illustrations (the facial expressions of all the characters, including the moon, the ducks who follow along), all contributing to the depth of the story. Even the music feels vivid, shown in floating, gentle bubbles from the combo in contrast to the boldly colored lightning bolts that emanate when Blue Baboon and Green Baboon play. Children will enjoy pointing out the pink balloon with a white heart that appears in every spread. The characters are endearing, and the final two-page spread is a visual delight, with everyone floating through the sky in dazzling hot air balloons. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An eye-catching palette and charming characters will draw readers in from the very first page. (Picture book. 2-5)

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October 10, 2022
Preschool-Kindergarten From the creators of The Snatchabook (2013) comes another sweet story featuring interesting animal characters and an endearing ending. Beneath a starry sky, Blue Baboon listens to a band playing in the park, where she notices a lonely bassoon on its stand. She picks it up and begins to play--out of tune. Just as the band asks for the bassoon back, a brief but mighty monsoon strikes. Once the rain clears, Blue Baboon boards a hot-air balloon--bassoon once again in hand--and she flies to an island, where she is free to play the instrument in her own way. Drawn by the music, Green Baboon joins her and begins to croon, perfectly out of tune, too. The simple, rhyming text features repetition and descriptive words that are wonderful to read aloud. Adult readers can guide little ones through the bold, saturated illustrations, pointing out key objects from the text: "orange moon," "big monsoon," "finds balloon." All culminates in a beautiful, visual ending in which all the animals play a ""happy tune"" together while soaring in hot-air balloons.

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