A good book for toddlers should be simple enough for them to (at least somewhat) understand, imaginative enough to keep them engaged, and smart enough to keep parents sane after the tenth "again!" Singer/songwriter Ellie Holcomb accomplishes all this in her first board book, Who Sang The First Song?, a lighthearted and relatively quick read that is perfect for ages one through five.

Who Sang The First Song? was inspired by Holcomb's five-year-old daughter asking her that exact question. Her answer--which is revealed in the last few pages of the book--is that God sang the first song when he created us and the world. Leading up to this message, each page goes through various familiar animals (lions, whales, birds) and elements of nature (thunderstorm, waves, wind), asking if they sang the first song with the sounds they make. Each page has kids interacting with the animals--a kid on a boat reaching over to touch the whale or a kid sitting on a polar bear's lap while looking at the stars--adding a nice sense of personability. All the animals and kids show up again at the end of the book sitting around a campfire, giving the book an added sense of completeness and unity. The illustrations, done by Kayla Harren, are vibrant and fun. Many kids will enjoy pointing out all the animals present (whether they are mentioned in the text or not) and they are sometimes presented in an unexpected way to stimulate imagination (such as a lion on a seesaw or a giraffe sticking its neck out of a house).

Who Sang The First Song? is simple, cute, and beautifully illustrated. Christian parents will love the message that God sang the first song when He created everything and that He wants us to sing back to Him with our voice and life. Holcomb's creative ability as an artist and songwriter transfers wonderfully to creative ability as a children's author, and hopefully the early success leading up to the release of this book will be an encouragement to Holcomb to do more board books in the future.