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Philadelphia Chickens

The 21st Anniversary Edition

Contributions by Michael Ford / Illustrated by Sandra Boynton
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About The Book

From the one and only Sandra Boynton comes the tuneful, toe-tapping hardcover Philadelphia Chickens. Celebrating its 21st anniversary, this catchy and quirky musical-in-a-book has been completely redrawn and redesigned for the next generation of readers, singers, and musicians.

* Grammy nominated!
* #1 New York Times bestseller!
* A platinum album with over 1 million copies sold!
* Plus a book and CD!

What an event! What a show! Here is a full-color songbook of 17 ½ illustrated story-poems, and a full-length, fully orchestrated CD of original songs performed by such luminaries as Patti LuPone, Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, The Bacon Brothers, and Laura Linney, who pleads “Please, Can I Keep It?—it followed me home. / What exactly it is / I don’t know.”

Also joining in are Eric Stoltz, Scott Bakula, and two Boyntons, including daughter Caitlin McEwan, who performs a piece that every little listener will relate to—a love song to the chocolate chip cookies that are just out of reach. With the collaboration of composer Michael Ford, Philadelphia Chickens is that rarest of kids’ record collections—one whose inimitable lyrics and music make it as irresistible to parents as it is to their children.

Well, I’m coming from Connecticut on I-95,
heading toward the sunset on the East River Drive
to the pretty little city on the Delaware—
the Philadelphia Chickens are sure to be there.

About The Author

Photo Credit:

Sandra Boynton is a popular American cartoonist, children’s author, songwriter, producer, and director. Since 1974, Boynton has written and illustrated over seventy-five children’s books and seven general audience books, including five New York Times bestsellers. More than 85 million of her books have been sold, “mostly to friends and family,” she says. She has also written (with Michael Ford) and produced six albums of renegade children’s music. Three of her six albums have been certified Gold (over 500,000 copies sold) and Philadelphia Chickens, nominated for a Grammy, has been certified Platinum (over 1 million copies sold). Boynton has also directed twelve music videos of her songs, including the award-winning “One Shoe Blues” starring B.B. King, “Alligator Stroll” starring Josh Turner, and “Tyrannosaurus Funk” (animated) sung by Samuel L. Jackson. She lives in rural New England, and her studio is in a barn with perhaps the only hippopotamus weathervane in America.

About The Illustrator

Photo Credit:

Sandra Boynton is a popular American cartoonist, children’s author, songwriter, producer, and director. Since 1974, Boynton has written and illustrated over seventy-five children’s books and seven general audience books, including five New York Times bestsellers. More than 85 million of her books have been sold, “mostly to friends and family,” she says. She has also written (with Michael Ford) and produced six albums of renegade children’s music. Three of her six albums have been certified Gold (over 500,000 copies sold) and Philadelphia Chickens, nominated for a Grammy, has been certified Platinum (over 1 million copies sold). Boynton has also directed twelve music videos of her songs, including the award-winning “One Shoe Blues” starring B.B. King, “Alligator Stroll” starring Josh Turner, and “Tyrannosaurus Funk” (animated) sung by Samuel L. Jackson. She lives in rural New England, and her studio is in a barn with perhaps the only hippopotamus weathervane in America.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Boynton Bookworks (September 5, 2023)
  • Length: 72 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781665926973

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Raves and Reviews

“Lions and tigers ... and dancing pigs? Welcome to the magical menagerie of author Sandra Boynton.”

People Magazine

“Sandra Boynton, long heralded for her menagerie of animal characters (Moo, Baa, La La La; Rhinoceros Tap), puts a fresh cast of singing, dancing critters center stage-from the titular boogying chickens to a tail-wagging "snuggle puppy"—in Philadelphia Chickens, a book-and-CD package billed as an ‘imaginary musical revue.’ The first 32 pages contain lyrics and illustrations, the second half of the book includes musical notation and additional lyrics for each song. An all-star cast, including Meryl Streep, Laura Linney, Eric Stoltz, and the Bacon Brothers, headlines the musical recording, which features a variety of original show tunes penned by Boynton and composed by Boynton and frequent collaborator Michael Ford.”

Publishers Weekly

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