Balkin (music, Western Michigan U.) has composed 20 songs with words and reading as their main subjects, designed to encourage early literacy in school and library settings as well as at home. Sheet music, lyrics, and supplementary activities are provided for each song, and a rhyming dictionary is included. Recordings of the songs are available for free on a companion website, so that even non-musical librarians, elementary teachers, parents, and child care providers can introduce children to the "Vowel Mambo" and other tunes. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)