All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir

by Bill Staines, Margot Zemach

Celebrates how all the animals in the world make their own music in their own way, some singing low, some singing higher

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Music, Childrens, Fiction, Inspirational, Religion

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 23, 1989

Reviews

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I every wrote a picture book I would want Kadir Nelson to be the illustrator. Bill Staines lyrics come alive through the illustrations on Nelson.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Staines, Bill. 2009. All God's Critters. Illustrations by Kadir Nelson. Simon & Schuster.

Are you a fan of Kadir Nelson? I sure am! One of his newest includes the picture book, All God's Critters. This is one of those picture books that illustrate a song--the lyrics are well known (or relatively well known at least) and the illustrations just add extra incentive to make this a part of your collection. (And the fact that it's by Kadir Nelson? Huge incentive!)

This book, All God's Critters, might pair well with another one of Kadir Nelson's books--He's Got The Whole World In His Hands. Looking at that cover just makes me happy...how about you?

Kadir Nelson's other books include Henry's Freedom Box, Moses, Coretta Scott, Abe's Honest Words, and We Are The Ship. Yes, that We Are The Ship that won the Sibert Medal, and attention (both an honor and a winner) in the Coretta Scott King Awards. (Honor for illustration; Winner for Writing).

[Che · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give the illustrations alone 5 stars. The rhythm was hard to translate on paper. And because I've not heard the song before, the in and out rhythm can lose the reader. The concept is fun and the pictures jump off the page. However, I don't think this is one we'll revisit.

Kadir Nelson is an amazing artist!

[Mama Bibliosoph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with this folk song when I came across All God's Critters in the library, but I was already a fan of the book's illustrator, Kadir Nelson. His work here takes his usual illustrated realism and adds the shiny veneer needed to anthropomorphize and showcase all the singing and dancing creatures.

The folk song, "All God's Critters" was popularized by the band Peter, Paul & Mary in the 70s. It's a fast-moving song, but pretty catchy, has a great beat, and is easy to pick up.

Despite my agnosticism clashing with all the God talk, I love the message of this book. The animals all have a different way of being part of the choir, and they all have their place. What could be a more perfect message for kids who struggle with socializing and communication in different ways? Consider these two pages of lyrics:

Singin' in the nighttime, singin' in the day,
the little duck quacks, then he's on his way.
The possum ain't got much to say,
and the porcupine talks to himself.

All God's Critters got a place in the choir--
Some sing low, some sing higher,
some sing out loud on the telephone wire,
and some just clap their hands, or paws,
or anything they got. Now...

[Lauren Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the children's books I have read so far this is the most interesting and interactive one of them all. When reading this book you can either sing along or you can read along, but there is a song with notes to sing it in at the end of the book. The illustrations are all colorful and vibrant, but they don't over power the font used for the words/lyrics. The font is large enough to withstand the competition keeping the book easy to follow.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy this song as a rollicking celebration of the variety found in creation, this illustrated version is for you. Kadir Nelson's bold colorful spreads add interest and humor. Good for preschool and Kindergarten especially. Tie-in with Genesis 1 Bible lesson.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book in total ignorance. I was unaware of the song or the famous illustrator. The song is country and my kid loves it. So I love it. I do like that the full song (lyrics and notes) are included. The pictures are super engaging for kids and adults.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The illustrations are loud, exaggerated and brightly colored. The rhyming is awkward. The main theme repeats several times. The moral is that all creatures have their unique place. Comes with sheet music in the back for the song. Upbeat and silly, it has some funny parts.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading all the Kadir Nelson illustrated picture books the library has. I loved this one! First off, I love the song! It is so fun to sing. The illustrations made me laugh, and I would love to read this to small children for a snuggly story time and sing the song together.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE the message of this book and look forward to sharing the book (and message!) with others! The song is great, too.

[Jean Doolittle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look the illustrations...Kadir Nelson is a wonder!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a fantastic book. the illustrations were beautiful

[Jayda Safford · Rating 4 out of 5]

big small what do you think

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have heard the song, but was surprised to come across this book at the library. Cute!

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red 3rd

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and funny illustrations for these song lyrics.

Definitely more fun if you sing along rather than reading.

I really like the fold out page (4 page spread).

[Madison Hurlbut · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent for talking about all of the animals that God created. It goes over the sounds that each animal makes along with how each animal comes together.

[Christopher Nierman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, child friendly song with a great message about everyone having a place in the world.

[Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful art

[Jenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

After introducing my children to the song, we needed the text of the lyrics to be able to fully appreciate what the song says. A beautifully illustrated children's book of the lyrics is the best way to enjoy that! I am a fan of Kadir Nelson's illustrations but this was a different style than my favorite, more portrait focused art of MLK and Nelson Mandela. Still well illustrated but much more animated and less realistic I had hoped. We are still using the book for extension activities about animals so that is not stopping us.

This book/song was also used in a Family Home Evening lesson about Jesus's teachings about loving one another (cf "as ye gave done tothe least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me"). This came about after we rescued a kitten and seized upon the opportunity to teach that all creation is connected by the belief that we all share a common origin.

[Sarah Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: I really enjoyed this book! I liked how it was kind of a song as well as a poem, I found myself singing the chorus. I think kids will love this book.

Purposes: Read aloud for enrichment and enjoyment to students in 1st through 3rd grade.
-Students will enjoy this book because of the rhyming, and repetition. There is a repeating "chorus", that occurs around 3 times during the book.
-I think it would be fun to read this book aloud to this class and have them sing a long. It would be a fun and engaging activity. The students would also be learning the names of animals and their noises. For younger kids, the teacher can ask what sounds certain animals make and what they look like.
-The illustrations are active and show the animals in their elements.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are just AWESOME - so real and fun at the same time. There's an amazing fold out spread in the middle and really great close-ups. I'm not familiar with the song and as an atheist I can appreciate the message but wouldn't recommend it to everyone for that reason. The pictures are awesome!

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again this one is all illustration to me. I am a huge fan of Kadir Nelson and this book does not dissapoint. The book is set to the words of the song and would be a lot of fun for a church story hour or just a good read with your family. I love books you can sing and the illstrations in this.... Well I guess I have already said that. Ages 2+ (but I would sing it with the 2's)

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is a hallmark book that i read at work. i thought i would love anything with animals, but i was wrong. for a book about a bunch of different animals, this one is weird and a little boring. but it does come with the music and lyrics in the back to be able to play and sing the song, which i think is cute.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm used to seeing Kadir Nelson illustrate picture books that revolve around people and they are always stunning. This book is a departure from what I'm used to seeing of his work, but I still loved it. Especially since there was a pug in the story. :) Though I have to say, the hippo was my favorite.

[Brittany Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book with amazing illustrations by Kadir Nelson.Not only does it have a heavy animal representation, but the book itself is also an illustrated song. I might not use this song as a read aloud because of the god aspect but i would definitely put it in my listening center where the children can follow along in the book while hearing the words sung to them.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the good fortune to have taken an amazing children's lit class with an amazing teacher, and she gave me an autographed copy of Heart and Soul (also by Kadir Nelson). He's the man. I really think he's one of the most talented artists out there. This is a musical, fun, soulful little book and we've had a good time reading it.

[Wendy Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't beat this book for phonological awareness. It's based on the lyrics by Bill Staines that you can't help but laugh with as you realize that all the animals have different sounds and pitches. All of them sing together to make a beautiful choir. The kiddos can have fun making the animal sounds and singing the song.

[Elizabeth Rittenhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't beat this book for phonological awareness. It's based on the lyrics by Bill Staines that you can't help but laugh with as you realize that all the animals have different sounds and pitches. All of them sing together to make a beautiful choir. The kiddos can have fun making the animal sounds and singing the song.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are fantastic, bright, lively and give each animal a lot of character. The fold-out in the end reveals a chorus line made up of all the animals in the book. I'm not too crazy about the text.