Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! "... again?"
Written: Jun 13 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Bright graphics, cute story and fun rhythm
Cons: none I can think of!
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| sarahgutch's Full Review: |
As we were leaving "Terrific Twos" story time at the local public library, a colorful book caught the eye of my daughter and she picked it up.
"Do you want to borrow this book?"
"Yes!" ... so we checked it out.
The brilliant illustrations by Lois Ehlert are very colorful, but the simple story and especially the rhythm of the words are more so. It became an easy routine to fall into. She would ask "Chickachickaboomboom, please?" and I would gather her into my lap with the book. With the final "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," she would ask, "Again?" so sweetly, how could I refuse?
A few days after this book arrived in the house, I heard my daughter reciting "A told B, and B told C..." while she sat in her car seat. She loved it!
It was with reluctance that I returned the book to the library four weeks later, an when I returned home and checked my e-mail we had a nice surprise! My daughter's pediatrician had sent a gift certificate to Amazon.com for my participation in a survey about their web site.
Immediately I logged on and ordered the paperback version of Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault's book. A few days later, we got an even better surprise! Apparently Amazon.com was out of stock of the paperback version so they sent a hardcover edition together with a 20-minute cassette (ISBN 0-671-74894-7). The tape features Ray Charles. He read the book twice, once straight through and once with a drum beat indicating time to turn the page of the book. Then some kids chant out the words with lots of enthusiasm and rhythm. A couple of folk-singers then put the words to music... easy to follow along and sing along, by now (this is the fourth time through the book) we all know the words! John Archambault's voice comes on the tape and describes how he and Bill Martin, Jr. got the idea for the words to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. It came from a school cheer told to him by a teacher friend. He recites a couple more street/jump rope rhymes just for fun to the rhythm of a high-hat. At this point in the tape, my daughter is usually dancing around the room, I'm snapping my fingers, she's tapping her hands on the table, or she's gotten her play drum out to join the fun.
One last time, the kids recite a reshuffling of the words to describe the whole alphabet coming down from the coconut tree, backwards. All the different versions (7 in all) of the readings satisfy my daughter's "Again?" requests without making me crazy.
This book won the 1990 Boston Globe-Horn Horn Book Honor Book and the 1990 Parents' Choice Honor for Story Books. Awards are nice, but my daughter's love of this book is the best award.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sarahgutch
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Member: Abbie Slaman
Location: NJ
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 22 members
About Me:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? --Nick Lowe
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