"Meet the Husky Gang - the most unusual group of animals you'll every meet. There's Sam, the Alaskan malamute, Stormy, Sheba and Sabrina, three Siberian Huskies and Sharon, the Siamese cat who's an "honorary" Husky. (You'd better not call her a cat, because she'll get all bent out of shape, and then she'll start flicking her silly pink hanky at you and....)They're all instructors at the music school in the Husky Gang Village, a special place where good always triumphs over evil, and happy is always better than sad, and in the end, the nice guy always wins." ♫

So begins the "Husky Gang Tales", the fourth (and definitely the best so far) in a new series of gentle, funny adventure stories and original songs all about the Husky Gang and their friends (with CD). "Husky Gang Tales" written and composed by Phyllis Sdoia-Satz and endearingly illustrated by Chris Mangiaracina is a series for children ages 2 to 8. (Warner Bros. Publications, 2002). The stories and songs encourage children to see the world through the up-beat eyes of the Husky Gang. Campy? Definitely! A return to a less sophisticated time? Without doubt! --- and the way Ms. Sdoia-Satz tells it, it actually works! ♫

Ms. Sdoia-Satz spins out these Husky Gang adventure tales vignette style. Adventure begins, problem emerges, Husky Gang solves problem and saves the world, adventure ends. Each story is short and well-suited for a young child's limited attention span. Without being preachy, in each story and song, the Husky Gang characters offer a simple but important life lesson: "Don't be afraid just because someone looks strange"; "Learn to be creative"; "Care about others"; "Care about Your World". The stories are really very appealing and the songs are so tuneful that I found myself singing along with the CD. Some of the songs are funny, some are poignant, one or two are real zingers. Ms. Sdoia-Satz has included some inter-active games, mazes and puzzles for the kids, making the Husky Gang Tales a good carry-along book for long trips. ♫

The cast of characters is a trip in itself. There's Stanley Skunk, the security guard for the Village, who uses his "Big Smell" to protect the Husky Gang Village; Carissima, the flute-playing cobra, and Beatrice, the bunny who doesn't know how to run. There's also Prof. Lump and Dr. Riaza, intergalactic music teachers (think time and space travelers) from the planet Tzedahka, who take the Gang on adventures to worlds past and present and to "who knows where or when." ♫

The stories are funny, warm and inviting. They're a holiday from reality, and offer a real hope for a better tomorrow. The songs so perfectly complement the tales that it's only a small jump from thinking "children's tale" to thinking "Broadway show". The illustrations are "eye candy" that bring the music and words on the page to life. What I really wanted to know, though, was what kids thought of it, especially in the age range that the series targets. Since my grandchildren are 3, 6, and 8, I decided to use them as a barometer. Individually and collectively they all adored the book and loved the music. The youngest one was kissing the illustrations and the pictures of the real Husky Gang animals who inspired the series. By the end, each had a favorite character, story and song. Their only questions were "when is the next book coming out?" and "where can we write to the Husky Gang". I said I'd let them know.  I'll let you know too. ♫

The Husky Gang was written by Phyllis Sdoia-Satz, illustrated by Chris Mangiaracina and is published by Warner Bros. Pick up your copy at booksellers today. ♫