Title: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Author: Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

Illustrator: Lois Ehlert

Age Group: 2-5 years old

The plot, in three sentences or less: The lowercase alphabet heads up a coconut tree, but things get a little crazy and everyone falls out! The uppercase alphabet comes to the rescue of their ‘little dears’. The story ends with lowercase ‘a’ daring everyone to join him in the coconut tree again.

The Good:

* A lot of ABC books leave much to be desired. This one is a winner.

* The rhythm of the poetry is so catchy. I always feel like I’m at open mike night at a beat cafe when I’m reading this to The Grumpkin.

* The illustrations are simple but striking and colorful. Totally lovely to look at.

The Bad:

* As a Canadian, it drives me kinda nuts that I have to say “zee” instead of “zed” when reading the story to make it rhyme properly. I know, I know. It’s a little thing. But still. I’m going to stick by my Canadian-ness and complain. And then promptly apologize.

* My mom had trouble reading this one. She didn’t get the whole ‘read it like beat poetry’ thing and tried reading it straight. The Grumpkin gave her a withering look and closed the book. My mother said, “I hate this book. It’s terrible.” I then showed her how to read it properly and she admitted “Wow, that’s really good when you read it right.” So read it right, parents/grandparents. Just get into it! You’re centre stage! Tap into your inner beatnik!

My Overall Opinion:

The Grumpkin (age 15 months) already recognizes the letter V (the first letter of her actual name). That’s a pretty ringing endorsement, right there. She also LOVES the alphabet at the end of the story, and enjoys waving along with the alphabet song (she’s not quite ready to sing it yet). So get your own copy and get reading, jive turkey.

Wait, that’s not right. Well, you get the idea.