Posts Tagged ‘Tom Paxton’
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The Jungle Baseball Game
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt
This book features printed music.
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This song is very hard to find. ”The Monkey’s Baseball Game,” is the title of the recorded song.
I found “The Monkey’s Baseball Game” on Tom Paxton’s album, “Tom Paxton’s Fun Animal Songs,”
You can hear a little snip of it, here:
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1074065/a/Fun+Animal+Songs.htm
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THE MONKEY’S BASEBALL GAME
(AKA, “THE JUNGLE BASEBALL GAME”)
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
One day the telephone rang-a-lang-lang, way up in the coconut tree
Mister Monkey folded up his paper, “Someone’s coalling me.”
“Hello, hello, who ya wanna speak to? There’s no need to scream!
Someone wants to play a game, with the monkeys’ baseball team.
All through the treetops, beating on the cocoanuts, blam-ma-lam-ma-lam-ma-lam-ma boom.
Everyone get your uniform on and get to the dressing room.
Fielders don’t forget your gloves, somebody bring the ball.
It’s time for the monkeys’ baseball game, when we get the telephone call.
When the monkeys play the monkeys’ way,
You’ll be glad you came;
You never saw the equal of
The monkeys’ baseball game.
Chimpanzee played left field, baboon played in right.
Orangutan on the pitchers mound was a most imposing sight.
But the sight you never saw before and you can bet your hat,
Was the mighty roar that went up when the gorilla came to bat.
When the monkeys play the monkeys’ way,
You’ll be glad you came;
You never saw the equal of
The monkeys’ baseball game.
The other animals had their team, the pitcher was a kangaroo.
First the umpire said, “Strike one!” Then he said, “Strike two!”
Gorilla swung his great big bat, the ball flew up in the sky.
It dropped in the beak of the pelican bird as it was flying by!
When the monkeys play the monkeys’ way,
You’ll be glad you came;
You never saw the equal of
The monkeys’ baseball game.
Now, Mister Pelican came to earth just to see the fun,
But since he landed over the wall, the umpire said, “Home run!”
Gorilla lumbered around the bases, monkeys cheered his name,
Oh what fun in the jungle at the monkeys’ baseball game!
When the monkeys play the monkeys’ way,
You’ll be glad you came;
You never saw the equal of
The monkeys’ baseball game.
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THE SINGABLE PICTURE BOOKS OF BASEBALL
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/the-singable-picture-books-of-baseball/
Tom Paxton is one of the great singer-songwriters of folk music. A bunch of his songs have been illustrated into delightful Singable Picture Books!
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Animal’s Lullaby
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Erick Ingraham
(This book features printed music)
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Engelbert the Elephant
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Steven Kellogg
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Going to the Zoo
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt
(This book features printed music)
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Jennifer’s Rabbit
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Elizabeth Miles
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Jennifer’s Rabbit
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Wallace Tripp
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Jennifer’s Rabbit
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Donna Ayers
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The Marvelous Toy
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Steve Cox
(This book is a far and away favorite with the Kindergarten set. It comes with a wonderful CD that has Tom Paxton singing on one track with a separate instrumental track, including a clearly played melody line, so you can sing solo…a wonderful edition!)
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The Marvelous Toy
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles
(The Singable Picture Book version of “The Marvelous Toy” can be sung with the same tracks that are included with Steve Cox’s illustration of the same song.)
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Tom Paxton: A Carful of Songs (with 18 Fun and Creative Activities for Children, Parents and Teachers)
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Published by Cherry Lane Music
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Tom Paxton’s website:
http://www.tompaxton.com/
An interesting Wiki article about Tom Paxton, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Paxton
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Related Articles
SINGABLE PICTURE BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/singable-picture-books-for-christmas/
The Marvelous Toy is one of the all time Sing Books faves and it is high time to give this terrific book its own post!
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The Marvelous Toy
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Steve Cox
This book, illustrated by Steve Cox, comes with a CD that includes Tom Paxton singing his song, but a second instrumental track so you can sing the book yourself.
Another illustration of the song, by Elizabeth Sales, can be sung with the same tracks that are included with Steve Cox’s version.
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The Marvelous Toy
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles
Tom Paxton sings his own song with the help of his grandson (and funny panting dog in the background),
http://vimeo.com/12995222
Click here to purchase or preview Tom Paxton’s original recording of his song:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Marvelous-Toy-LP-Version/dp/B00123FPQS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1317052239&sr=1-2
Online music sellers like iTunes and Amazon sell many recordings of many artists’ (like Peter Paul & Mary and The Irish Rovers)versions of this fun, whimsical song
Peter Paul & Mary sing “The Marvelous Toy,”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIl8JMkPylM
An animated version (using John Denver’s recording which uses slightly different lyrics than the original),
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvmyxTm6hkg
Info and interesting links about Steve Cox’s illustration of The Marvelous Toy on Tom Paxton’s website:
http://www.tompaxton.com/
An interesting Wiki article about Tom Paxton, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Paxton
This link contains a couple intresting tidbits about “The Marvelous Toy.”
John Denver included “The Marvelous Toy” on his Christmas album, “Christmas Like a Lullaby,”
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TVS9BS/ref=dm_dp_trk7?ie=UTF8&qid=1340234723&sr=1-7
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THE MARVELOUS TOY
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
When I was just a wee little lad full of health and joy,
My father homeward came one night and gave to me a toy.
A wonder to behold, it was, with many colors bright,
And the moment I laid eyes on it it became my heart’s delight.
It went “zip” when it moved and “bop” when it stopped,
And “whirr” when it stood still.
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
The first time that I picked it up, I had a big surprise,
For right on its bottom were two big buttons that,
Looked like big green eyes.
I first pushed one and then the other, and then I twisted its lid,
And when I set it down again, this is what it did:
It went “zip” when it moved and “bop” when it stopped,
And “whirr” when it stood still.
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
It first marched left and then marched right,
And then marched under a chair.
And when l looked where it had gone, it wasn’t even there.
I started to sob and my daddy laughed, for he knew that I would find,
When l turned around, my marvelous toy, chugging from behind.
It went “zip” when it moved and “bop” when it stopped,
And “whirr” when it stood still.
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
Well, the years have gone by too quickly, it seems,
I have my own little boy.
And yesterday I gave to him my marvelous little toy.
His eyes nearly popped right out of his head,
And he gave a squeal of glee.
Neither one of us knows just what it is,
but he loves it, just like me.
It still goes “zip” when it moves, “bop” when it stops,
And “whirr” when it stands still.
I never knew just what it was,
And I guess I never will.
I never knew just what it was,
And I guess I never will.
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10/19/2011
On “The Marvelous Toy” and the kazoo…
The Marvelous Toy comes packaged with a vocal and instrumental CD, so you can sing along and it just happens to be in a perfect sing-along key and exactly matches the book’s lyrics. The track includes an instrumental break, however, and to fill the time, I play the kazoo. It’s so much fun! The kids can bop their heads and tap their knees and I get to do a little kazoo solo improv.
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Related Articles
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National Kazoo Day
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/happy-national-kazoo-day-january-28-2011/
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SINGABLE PICTURE BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/singable-picture-books-for-christmas/
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TOM PAXTON
The Singable Picture Books of Tom Paxton
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/the-singable-picture-books-of-tom-paxton/
