The book about Tony Chestnut. By Laurie Monopoli Tony Chestnut and his sister Eileen move to a new house and start the first day at their new school. Tony is happy at the thought of making new friends, but Eileen is still sad because she had to say goodbye to her best friends. At Recess all th... more

The book about Tony Chestnut. By Laurie Monopoli Tony Chestnut and his sister Eileen move to a new house and start the first day at their new school. Tony is happy at the thought of making new friends, but Eileen is still sad because she had to say goodbye to her best friends. At Recess all the kids are playing except for Eileen who sits lonely on the playground bench crying. Seeing his sister cry makes Tony sad so he decides to cheer her up. He tries begging her to stop but it does not work. He tries acting like a circus clown and making silly faces but those don’t work either! Eileen just cries harder. Tony decides he must be brave, so he stands up tall, takes a deep breath and starts to sing so loud the whole playground can hear him! As he sings Eileen cheers up and everyone joins in on the fun moves that go along with Tony’s song. This book is an exciting, colorful, and interactive edition to your children’s library. My daughters absolutely enjoyed it and so did I. The book comes with a CD, so you can follow along to the music after reading Tony’s wonderfully illustrated story! The story itself is an endearing and wholesome story about a kind brother trying to make his sister happy. My daughter asked to take the book to preschool for show and tell so I let her. Her teacher was very happy to read it to the class and they all enjoyed the book and dance tremendously. The moves are very simple and even my two year old can follow along! I would recommend this book to anyone with children ages 0 -8 years. Of course, if you’re a big kid at heart, you will enjoy it too!

Tony and Eileen Chestnut are brother and sister and today is their first day at a new school. While Tony is excited about making new friends, his sister Eileen is sad because she had to leave her best friends when she moved. On the playground Tony and Eileen sit on the bench as they watch the othe... more

Tony and Eileen Chestnut are brother and sister and today is their first day at a new school. While Tony is excited about making new friends, his sister Eileen is sad because she had to leave her best friends when she moved. On the playground Tony and Eileen sit on the bench as they watch the other children play on the jungle gym, the swings, and with the ball. Eileen gets really sad and starts crying! That made Tony sad. In order to make his sister stop crying – he makes her favorite monkey face. And she doesn't stop crying. So, what does he do? Shy Tony Chestnut stands up on that big yellow bench – and – SINGS! And everyone stops what they're doing so they can look! But, it works! It makes his sister smile! Tony Chestnut uses the sounds of his name (Toe, Knee, Chest, Nut) to sing this really cool song. As he starts singing he points to the corresponding body parts. “Toe Knee Chest Nut Nose Eye Love You Toe Knee Nose...” (pgs 24-26). The song starts out slowly, in order to get the kids used to pointing to the body parts, and then quickly picks up speed. It's fun trying to keep up! This is the cutest song ever! He includes his sister and his classmates in the words of the silly song. And, as a bonus, Tony and Eileen become friends with the kids on the playground. I'm guessing they won't have to sit on the big yellow bench anymore! Included with the book is a DVD. The narrator, Jeanne Bowyer, reads the story and sings the song. Tony Chestnut also reads the story. Lastly, there are discussion questions. This song is so original it's crazy! Who can resist such a catchy song? And who can stop themselves from dancing to it? Not this family. This books allows children to actively participate in the story. We all love it. We read it for the first time yesterday, and we're still singing the words today. My younger daughter said the story was “amazing” and the other described it as “cool”. I agree. Apparently this song burst on the scene in 1997, but I hadn't heard of it until I read this book. Although we were late to this party, I'm glad we came. Definitely a keeper for the bookshelf. I received this book free from the author or publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.