Boynton rocks! So does Blues Traveler, who perform a stomping version of the title song, a moody rock journey that Boynton wrote especially for them. And then there’s Alison Krauss with “Evermore.” And Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme—really—who do the “Boring Song.” The Spin Doctors, who channel rock’s rebellious side—with a taste of punk—for “Tantrum”: “No No No, I don’t want to, I don’t want to./No no no, I don’t want to, no no./Leave me alone. Leave me alone./LEAVE ME ALONE.” And the sweetly unexpected pairing of “Weird Al” Yankovic and Kate Winslet (yep, Kate Winslet) as a duet singing “I Need a Nap.”

Full of attitude, full of fun, all lit up with star power, and boasting a variety of Top 40 styles—rock and roll, blues, hip-hop, and power pop—Dog Train is the third book-and-CD production by Sandra Boynton, following the #1 New York Times bestselling, Grammy-nominated Philadelphia Chickens (432,000 copies in print) and the recently re-released Rhinoceros Tap (203,000 copies in print). Like Philadelphia Chickens, features all original songs recorded by a mix of big-name acts and great voices, for the pleasure of the parents as much as the kids. Packaged similarly to the previous Boynton & Ford recordings, Dog Train is also a full-color book that features a portion of each song’s lyrics set as a little story, accompanied by Boynton’s irresistible hippos, cows, dogs, and more dogs. Full lyrics appear in the back.

• musicanimalssongsJuvenile fictionpicture book