PreS-Gr 1-When playground jungle-gym animals come to life, new twists are offered to a favorite song. While their mother reads a book on a nearby park bench, a brother and sister go on a fanciful safari and "give a roar" along with a lion, "laugh out loud" with a hyena, and "flap...wings" like a parrot. Warhola's lush watercolor spreads extend the fun. Comical scenes show a pileup on the slide (with the elephant stuck at the top) and a raucous game of leapfrog. Background details provide clues as to which animal will offer the next verse. The jungle stops stirring when the mother announces, "Time to go, kids!" The complete 10 stanzas are included at the end. This exuberant title will liven up any storytime with exotic sights and sounds.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Warhola adds raucous illustrations to a familiar chant that's perfect for helping preschoolers get the wiggles out. A little boy, his older sister, and their mother arrive at Big Jungle Playground, but it's only after Mom gets lost in the book she has brought that the fun begins. The elephant statue springs to life, tapping its foot to the catchy title refrain. After a moment of surprise, the kids leap into action, as do other animal statues scattered around the playground. Soon everyone (except preoccupied Mom) is part of a joyous chorus--roaring like the lion, jumping like the frog, laughing like the hyena--while the spacious sandlot playground slowly turns into a tropical forest. With a double dose of color and energy, Warhola's gleeful pictures turn the song into a great visual joke. Won't Mom be surprised? Expect plenty of leaping, giggling, and stomping during storytime. --Stephanie Zvirin Copyright 2007 Booklist

Pick this up for a surefire storytime crowd-pleaser. The simple, repetitive text provides a twist on the familiar song, instructing the audience to show their joy not only by clapping their hands and stomping their feet, but also by roaring, crawling around and beating their chests, among other animal-inspired activities. In Warhola's action-packed illustrations, two children explore the "Big Jungle Playground," which is filled with equipment in the shape of jungle creatures. To their delight, a new animal comes to life on each page with each new action, until, at the end, all of the animals on the playground have joined in the fun. The children's mother, meanwhile, has been perched on a bench reading a book throughout this adventure; although each spread has her in a slightly different reading posture, she is always oblivious to the excitement building around her. Be careful with this one. Read it to a group of children and you will almost certainly end up with your very own jungle by the time you've turned the final page. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

As a girl and boy play on playground equipment shaped like jungle animals, the animals come alive and encourage the kids to ""crawl around,"" ""give a roar,"" and otherwise show their feelings if they're happy and they know it. Warhola's watercolors will carry across the story-hour room, but the characters' stiff postures belie the song's exhortations to get moving. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

While their oblivious mother reads a book on a nearby bench, two children bring a jungle-themed playground to life by singing the well-known title song. At the sound of, "If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet," an elephant slide suddenly transforms into a real pachyderm who stands on its hind legs and clomps. When the song urges everyone to "give a roar," a lion seesaw springs to its feet and does just that, each animal joining the fray. The fantasy reaches a fever pitch with games of leapfrog and belly-crawling and then seems to draw to an end when Mom rises from the bench, gives a stretch and declares it's time to go home. But Warhola (Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol) slyly hedges his bets-maybe the playground really has turned into a jungle. Although the human characters feel a tad wooden and schematic, Warhola's animal cast possesses all the genial high spirits that readers know from his previous books. The elephant, by virtue of his sheer size, especially steals the scenes-he's a literal party animal. Ages 3-5. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved