It was a New York fantasy come true — sipping cocktails on the terrace of a Central Park West penthouse, overlooking the sweep of Central Park and the glorious New York skyline in the company of both entertainment and publishing luminaries. It was one of my more memorable experiences — even for a jaded New Yorker. Phyllis Newman (wife of the late Adolph Green) welcomed us all into her home at the Beresford to celebrate the launch of her first children's book, What's New at the Zoo? (Blue Apple Books). The book's text comes from the lyrics of the hysterical song of the same name, written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, from their hit show Do Re Mi. In the song, the animals in an overcrowded zoo clamor to be freed — the chorus is "Let us out! Let us out! Let us out!"

As the sun set, turning the sky pink, the lights of the the city flickered below us (I know — it's corny, but really!) I got to rub elbows with Polly Bergen, Nancy Opel and Sheldon Harnick, as well as Jeff Abraham (head of Random House distribution), and Barbara Marcus (Open Road Media). But the stars of the night were the four third grade students from PS 212, who sang a wonderful rendition of the song that the book is based on (check out the video I tagged.)

Harriet Ziefert, Blue Apple's Publisher, introduced Phyllis, talking about the genesis of the book and reading an excerpt from the starred review the book received from Kirkus Reviews, ending with the quote "fresh and vintage at the same time." When Phyllis stood to introduce the children, she started by saying, "That's me, fresh and vintage!" In talking about how pleased she was with the book, she said that this was the only children's book that she knew of that was based on the lyrics from a Broadway show. To which Sheldon Harnick called out, "No, there was on based on my song Sunrise, Sunset!" Phyllis shot back, "Okay, Sheldon, get out!" Then he quickly added, "But it was terrible!"

As the party wound down, I overheard many of the guests talking about how delightful the children's performance was and chuckling at how funny the song was. Each guest was presented with a souvenir copy of the book, which, of course, brought out smiles all around. A perfect end to a perfect evening.

Elliot Kreloff-- creative director/associate publisher/theater lover

By the way, a portion of the proceeds from the book's sales will be contributed to The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of the Actors Fund.