Book Nook: Jungle Night

I recently had a chance to see  a copy of Sandra Boynton’s new board book JUNGLE NIGHT.

Sandra Boynton's books have sold more than 70 million copies. In this book, she collaborates with cellist Yo-Yo Ma for a unique bedtime experience. The board book is a wider format than other board books, which leaves more room for the bold, bright illustrations and also makes it feel a little nicer. In the book, we see the different ways animals snore, and there's a downloadable recording that includes narration of the book, steel drum backdrop (which sets a perfect nighttime mood), and animal snores interpreted by skillful cello playing (and help from the James R Barker steamship).

Also on the recording is Jungle Gymnopédie No. 1, a jungle arrangement of the  piece by Erik Satie that  uses cello, guitar, and drums - and it's a perfect fitting sound for nighttime.

Sandra Boynton is a beloved American cartoonist, children’s author, songwriter, and highly sporadic short film director. Starting with the 1977 publication of Hippos Go Berserk!, Boynton has written and illustrated over sixty children’s books and eight general audience books, including five New York Times bestsellers. More than 70 million of her books have been sold—“mostly to friends and family,” she says. In 2008, Boynton received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cartoonists Society.

 

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s life and career are testament to his enduring belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, collaborating with communities and institutions to explore culture’s role in society, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Yo-Yo strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity.Yo-Yo’s latest album is Songs of Comfort and Hope, created and recorded with pianist Kathryn Stott in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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