Baby Beluga

by Raffi

Overview

Raffi's signature song and the top seller in his Songs to Read series, Baby Beluga is now available in a quality board book edition perfect for his youngest fans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780517709771
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	08/12/1997
Series:	Raffi Songs to Read
Edition description:	BOARD
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	9,468
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Raffi Cavoukian was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1948 to Armenian parents. Music and literature were very much a part of Raffi’s own childhood, leading to his interest in learning the guitar as a teenager. In 1970 he began his career as a performer in local music spots and later transitioned to performing music for children. As his career progressed, Raffi realized there wasn’t quality recorded music for children. He then recorded and released Singable Songs for the Very Young. After its success, he recognized his fun songs could be adapted into books to help children read. Favorite songs were then printed in booklets, which were illustrated by the children themselves or by older students—as a result, the children had instant books that they could use at their own level of proficiency. This led to the publication of Down by the Bay and Shake My Sillies Out, followed by other titles in the Songs to Read series. In 1998, Raffi published his first book for adults—an autobiography detailing the story of his unique life and career, including his efforts to blend respect for both children and the natural world, in order to work toward a child-honoring society.

Editorial Reviews

"Children will get a first, cheerful lesson about the natural world by becoming acquainted with an enchanting baby beluga. The illustrations are a joy, and the song's rhythm and rhyme make it easy to remember and sing."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Raffi's song about a little white whale has been given the board book treatment. The illustrations show a baby white whale, but the proportions in relation to the other creatures are a bit strange given the immense size of whales. Even with the Inuit shown as a woman, the stereotype of them living in igloos persists.

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

PreS-Gr 2-- The song about this small, white whale has as its hero probably the best loved of all Raffi's creations. Children who are learning about the interdependence of all life on Earth, and of the crucial importance of preserving the fragile environment, will get a first, cheerful lesson about the natural world by becoming acquainted with enchanting Baby Beluga, swimming wild and free with his mother in the deep blue sea. He and his friends are somewhat anthropomorphic, in the interests of cuddliness, but this does the message no harm . The illustrations are a joy to behold, and the song has a rhythm and rhyme that make it easy to remember and sing. --Joan McGrath, Education Centre Library, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

School Library Journal