Saturday, January 27, 2018

Footloose By Kenny Loggins; illustrations by Tim Bowers MoonDance Press, 28 pages, $17.95 (IBRChildrensBooks)


Kid-Friendly Kenny Loggins Cuts Loose at Zoo
Kenny Loggins has given new life to his hit tune “Footloose” in the form of a children’s book.





Thirty-two years after Kenny Loggins released the hit song “Footloose” from the soundtrack to the 1984 Kevin Bacon film of the same name, the catchy, toe-tapping tune remains a classic. Now Loggins has given it new life in the form of a children’s book set in a zoo with reimagined lyrics and characters.

The book marks Loggins’ first foray into children’s projects since 2000’s “More Songs From Pooh Corner” and 1994’s “Return to Pooh Corner,” two of the best-selling children’s records of all time, although he has stayed in public eye beyond the music world. For example, he voiced an animated version of himself who demanded to be called “K-Logg” in an episode of the Atlanta-based series “Archer” in 2014, the same year he appeared onstage with a Loggins tribute band in the series finale of “Raising Hope.”

Already with one of the top-selling children’s albums of all time to his name, Kenny Loggins has released his first children’s book.

Inspired by the birth of his first grandchild in 2015, Loggins took to rewriting his iconic 1980s tune “Footloose” for a new generation in the form of a children’s book with an accompanying CD. It is his first work aimed at children since 2000’s “More Songs From Pooh Corner.”

The book tells the story of two children who hide in a zoo after closing to watch zookeeper Jack and all the animals dance the night away.

The rewritten lyrics are sure to get kids up and moving to the fun and colorful book and the included song.

“All the animals are watchin’/to see if everyone’s gone./Gettin’ ready to party,/they’re gonna be dancin’ till the dawn.”

The book, vividly illustrated by Tim Bowers, features textured, colorful double-page spreads that bring Loggins’ lyrics to life with fun visuals like a quartet of tutu-clad llamas, a hip DJ elephant spinning albums with forelegs and trunk, and a hippo dressed for a hoedown in white cowboy boots.

This new variation on “Footloose” is easy enough for adults to read aloud, but kids may need to hear the CD to read and establish the rhythm.

Be warned, though, that despite the nighttime setting, this book is not a bedtime story. Because of the high-energy nature of the song and story, Loggins suggests reading it to your kids at least an hour before bed.

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