When the package of this book promptly arrived in the mail, I told my 6-year-old son it was for him. He eagerly tore open the slim box and pulled out the attractive hard covered book. He was excited to find it also came with a read-along and sing-along CD!

I handed the book to my 9-year-old daughter and told her to read it to her brother. She said the story was cute. The Book About Tony Chestnut is about a shy boy named Tony Chestnut and his sister Eileen who have just moved to a new home and a new school. Tony tries to comfort his sister who is very sad about leaving her old friends. He finally comes up with an inventive way to do so.

My son simply loves listening to the book by following along with the CD. He loves the song and sings it by heart when playing or jumping on the couch (he is quite the acrobat!) and my daughter will chime in too. It’s a catchy tune. The illustrations are adorable. In the middle of the book there are 4 pages that are progressively shorter than the rest, almost like flaps, which we thought were cool.

I enjoy watching my daughter read the book to her brother and then hear them as they get to the singing part and begin singing together. It reflects the theme of brotherly and sisterly affection conveyed so beautifully in this touching story about a boy who overcomes his shyness to comfort his sister.

This book is ideal for pre-schoolers, children going to school for the first time or young kids who have recently moved and want to make new friends. ( )

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. ( )