12. Sing Yourself Silly

Lisa Loeb's Silly Sing-Along and CD

Written and recorded by Lisa Loeb

Illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke
Sterling, 2011

$14.95, ages 5-7, 24 pages.

Get ready not to sit still.

Here are 10 sing-alongs that will have your children skipping and twirling through the house.

Pop singer Lisa Loeb sings from a CD, as children follow the lyrics, which get sillier by the line.

In The Disappointing Pancake,  a dry, overcooked pancake rolls off the table and around the world and back, repurposing itself along the way.

In Manhattan, it tries being a manhole cover and in Spain, a sombrero, before floating down from the heavens to a girl's bed and giving her "sweet pancake dreams."

Another ditty pokes fun at the way people speak when they have nose colds: all stuffed up, unable to enunciate what they have to say.

At the end of many songs, Loeb nudges readers try something zany and new.

Some songs even come with instructions: such as how to write a story about having an opposite day or how to make coconut cream "pie" (a mix of yogurt, banana and shredded coconut).

At the end of the cold-in-my-nose song, Loeb celebrates "the joy of mis-hearing" with instructions for playing the classic telephone game.

After others, she suggests singing a song again in different accents or performing hand motions.

During a chorus about chewing gum, O'Rourke diagrams how to pull gum, twirl it, then coil it back in mouths.

Scattered around lyrics, his pictures bubble about the page, adding to the bouncy, happy feel of every song.

This is a book that will be playing in children's heads long after it's back on the shelf.