I had the opportunity to review three childrens books from The Secret Mountain.  Each beautifully illustrated hardcover book is accompanied  by an audio CD.  My family enjoyed all three titles, and each offered a unique literary and musical experience for our kids.

Down at the Sea Hotel

This was a cute bedtime story, but the best feature of this book was the 14-song CD included featuring lullabies written by such well-known artists as Billy Joel and Don Henley. The CD is good enough to be sold on its own, but the fact it is included with such a beautifully illustrated bedtime story makes this a great package for any little one.

Dream Songs Night Songs: From Belgium to Brazil

I must say I was impressed with the Dream Songs Night Songs series, which introduces children to a variety of international lullabies presented on audio CD in their native language. My family's favorites were "Acalanto" (Brazil), "Die blumelieine sie schlafen" (Germany), and "We are the boat" (United States).  This is a wonderful way to expose children to other cultures, and led to discussions about other countries featured in the book and audio CD.

A Duck in New York City

While we enjoyed all three books, A Duck in New York City was by far our favorite.  Winner of the Parent's Choice Gold Award, A Duck in New York City follows the story of a brave duck whose dream is to do a "ducky dance" on Broadway. It is a big dream for a little duck, and of course there is no shortage of naysayers telling him reasons why he cannot do it.  Ignoring their pessimism, the duck takes off for New York and encounters several bumps along the way.  He also meets someone very special who believes him and helps him along the way.

A Duck in New York City is an inspirational tale that teaches children to believe in their dreams, to ignore negative people who tell them they cannot achieve something, and to surround themselves with people who believe in them. The book also featured a CD with whimsical songs such as "If You Love a Hippopotamus" and " The Alligator Waltz."

To view these and additional titles visit TheSecretMountain.com.