Big...small...quiet...loud...feathered, flippered, or furred....All God's critters have a place in the choir And this jubilant and raucous bunch is waiting for you to join in because everybody has a part to sing. It doesn't matter if you sing like a bird...howl like a wolf...or croak like a frog

From Booklist
A song by children’s folk-singer Staines is brought to rollicking life by Nelson’s artwork in this howl-along picture book. The refrain begins All God’s critters got a place in the choir, / some sing low, some sing higher, / some sing out loud on the telephone wire. The tune then moves into solo and ensemble performances by dogs and cats and cows and hippos and possums and porcupines and on and on, adding their own voices and personalities to the hubbub. In each delightful spread, full-to-bursting with said critters’ energy, Nelson proves himself to be as adept painting jubilant scenes of barnyard animals raising a ruckus as he is creating the more gravitas-laden artwork for which he is justly celebrated. The oversize type of the lyrics nearly shouts off the page, making this a great choice for groups of excitable singers; but it works just as well on an individual level, allowing children to point out the various animals while mimicking their joyful noise. Be sure to keep this book far, far away at bedtime, though. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ian Chipman

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2—A theater curtain opens on Staines's classic folk song populated with the gorgeous array of animals featured in the lyrics. Each spread shows singing, howling, and yowling beasts set against dramatic lighting that varies from misty sunlight to darkest night. The anthropomorphized critters are all hams and seem to enjoy their moments in the spotlight. Nelson's rich illustrations display an exuberance that comes to a rousing finale in a foldout, rainbow-drenched spread followed by a view of the wildly cheering audience and the bowing performers. Musical notation appears as the curtain closes. Libraries that own the version illustrated by Margot Zemach (Dutton, 1989) will still want to share Nelson's critters with storytime groups.—Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI
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