Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Reviews

• Great! Wonderful! Fantastic! Have to have it for infants!!

  
  By A1BCVPSEZ5NSXK on 2001-10-12
  The book has catchy sounds with a great rhythmic pattern that is just fun for parents and kids! And, when it gets stuck in your mind after hours of reciting it, it is much better than "It's a small world after all!" which drives everyone crazy!

  Ok, so, what's my story???

  Our severely handicapped daughter, Rebecca, suffered through hours of arduous therapies, working and struggling to help herself. She started this at only 2 months old and worked very hard at every single session to this day - now 6 years old.

  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was one of the books that we read and read and read and read to her during these never ending ordeals to keep her mind sane with her pain and struggles. She still laughs when we recite the words!

  By the way, Rebecca is doing very well, although she remains severely handicapped. Her very hard work and efforts have brought her to a level no one ever thought possible (you see, she was dead for 35 minutes at birth). She struggles to walk, speak and feed herself everyday. ....

  And, when you read this book, think about Rebecca and all her friends and say a little prayer for all of them! Thanks!
  
  

• Ellamennow P

  
  By AMX0PJKV4PPNJ on 2004-02-22
  A word of warning. If you haven't a rhythmic bone in your body, you'd best not be reading "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" anytime soon. This book is arguably the best known alphabet book on the market today. Telling a tale of alphabetic foolhardiness, a troop of lower case letters (all of them, in fact) go bounding up the nearby coconut tree for a variety of reasons. When the tree can no longer support their weight the little letters find themselves splayed out on the ground. Fortunately the big letters come along to comfort the little ones, though it's obvious by the end that not all have learned their lesson.

  Verses of the letters' exploits are intermixed with chants like so;

  "Chicka chick boom boom!
  Will there be enough room?
  Here comes H
  Up the coconut tree"

  The text has a nice rhythmic quality to it. A kind of onomatopoetic elegance. And the illustrations, while not particularly stunning, fulfill their purpose excellently. It's a good read-aloud story for kids learning their alphabet, and would fit into any storytime excellently. A fun feisty book.
  
  

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

  
  By A30NSLYE5LP6A5 on 2002-01-21
  This is hands down the best book for children age 3 and under that I have ever encountered (and we have over 1,000 children's books in our home!). I began reading it to my oldest child when she was 2 months old, and by 16 months, she could recite the alphabet AND identify all 26 letters of the alphabet-- upper AND lower case! I give most of the credit to this wonderful book (but keep in mind, we read it EVERYDAY, often times, several times a day!) My youngest child picks this book out of the shelf first and foremost. He is only 13 months old, but he absolutely loves this book and prefers it over most toys. Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault have more than a classic here, not to mention the great illustrations by Lois Ehlert. If you're looking for the perfect book to teach your children the alphabet or you just simply want an entertaining book that is sure to be a hit, look no further. This is it!
  
  

• This is agreat book to help children learn the Alphabet

  
  By A2NHN19E3NW6C4 on 2000-02-21
  Chicka Chicka boom boom is a great book when teaching a child the letters and order of the alphabet. This book is full of vibrant color and, exciting rhyming words. The first time I read this book was when a three year old I was Nannying for at the time told me she could read the book to me. As I sat next to her and read the book silently as she was reciting the book to me almost word for word, I realized yes she did inded know this book. NO, she was not reading the workds, but she new the oder of the alphabet and had been the read the book enough times to be able to recite the book. The book was well written and the illustrations also help to express the plot of the story.
  
  

• Read to Your Child to Develop Bonding and Intellect!

  
  By A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ on 2000-08-17
  Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

  To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was one of her picks.

  The book is designed to teach the alphabet, but has several other nice qualities. For some reason, children get really attached to the sound of hearing "chicka chicka boom boom" and love to repeat it. Not only did my daughter do that, but so did her friends. Have mastered that sound, they were one step along in memorizing the poem story of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Because the story contains the alphabet, memorizing that became part of the game. Then with so much memorized, they can "read" the story to you by repeating what they have memorized. Pretty soon, what they have memorized becomes identified with what they see. Voila! Reading progress begins. Very subtle and very effective is this method!

  The drawings are equally cleverly designed to help with recognition and memorization. The letters are printed in LARGE sizes and in different colors, surrounded by lots of white space to increase the differences in their appearances. They are also tilted and come alive so they become interesting rather than just abstract. "A told B, and B told C, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree.'"

  If only adult books were this well designed, learning would be fun and easy for almost everyone.

  Overcome your misconceptions that children cannot master complicated material, by helping your child learn with this wonderful resource! Then find other books with similar structures to continue the reading progress. Hop on Pop is a good selection for that purpose.

  
  
  

• This book has a great rhythm
  By A3RX5RMRAJ8Z5B on 2005-07-14
  My daycare kids by far favorite. There is a scream of glee when they see it. I give it as a Christmas present to all my daycare kids. Daycare parents tell me the kids read it to them. It's a fun read.
  If you want to board book it's called Chicka Chicka ABC -- by Jr, Bill Martin. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is paper back. : )
  
  
• Go ahead and emphasize the rhythm!
  By A1DSL15SAMW9WK on 2002-04-05
  "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom! Will there be enough room?"

  The simple, rhythmic text of this book just begs to be chanted as you read it to your young child. Go ahead and lose your self-consciousness and do it: Your child will love the book and learn the alphabet to boot!

  The story line is simple: the lower case letters pass along the word that everyone is going to climb to the top of the coconut tree. Just after z makes it up the tree, "Uh-oh! Oh, no! Chicka chicka BOOM BOOM!" The uppercase letters come along to "hug their little dears and dust their pants." I understand this is where the board book version of this story ends, but I would highly recommend that you buy the regular version instead.

  In the full-length version, the lower case letters get up from the jumble with all their bumps and bruises and head home. But after the sun goes down, "a gets out of bed and this is what he said, 'Dare, Double Dare! You can't catch me! I'll beat you to the top of the coconut tree!' Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!"

  If you have fun with it, your young children will love to listen to it. The alphabet is printed in its entirity (upper and lower case letters) in the fly leaves of the book, and these are great to point to while singing the alphabet song or play a quick game of "What's that?" before or after reading the book. And your child will quickly start to chant the story along with you, I'm sure!

  I, for one, was thrilled when my two-year old started bringing it to me and saying, "Read it, Mommy! Read it, the Boom Boom!" He's learning his letters and having fun. For what more could I ask?
  
  

• WOW! Fast and fun (and educational too)!
  By A6B92PTV0Z1SU on 2003-02-06
  "A told B and B told C
  I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree."

  Thus begins Chicka Chicka Boom Boom's bouncy romp through the alphabet. The cadence is quick and the rhyming is fun. One can't help but read it aloud just to bop along! This book has captivated every child I've seen "read" it from 1 month (no kidding, the bright colors and simple shapes really grab 'em) to 5 years.

  As for its learning potential, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom clips through the alphabet twice, and in a brilliant move portrays the child-personified letters as lower-case and the "adult" letters as upper-case. The "kid" letters are rambunctious and accitentally get hurt (resulting in "skinned-knee d", "black-eyed p", and "loose-toothed t"), but the "adult" letters are there to help them up, dust off their pants, and feel better.

  In short, this is a book that's so sweet and fun, I'd have bought it even if it didn't have it's additional benefit of learning the alphabet! Chicka Chicka Boom Boom comes highly recommended!
  
  

• Teach your child their ABC's
  By on 1999-12-16
  My sitter used this book to teach the children in her daycare their ABC's, now my 2 1/2 year old daughter reads it to her 16 month old brother. The flow of the book is wonderful, your child will learn and recite lines about tag-along k and loose toothed t. The pictures are bright and colorful. Great gift item!
  
  
• Our favorite book!
  By on 2000-12-01
  "Skit skat skoodle doot, flip flop flee" has now become a part of our family vocabulary! My 3-year-old and 2-year-old sons love this book so much, that after checking it out constantly at the library, I'm buying it. My 2-year-old is hard to please when it comes to books--very few of them capture his attention. But this one he wants to read over and over. Also, it's a fun book for the parents to read (and if you have it, trust me, you'll read it 78 times a day) with its fun rhythm and rhyme, reminiscient of Dr. Seuss. You will LOVE this book, and your kids will too!
  
  
• An Alphabet Book With a Difference
  By A3GKPMHV4U64IY on 2003-08-15
  This is an alphabet book of another color. Instead of lists of A is for Awful, B is for Bad, this book treats the letters as characters.

  The small letter a proposes a race up to the top of a coconut tree, But what starts as a race among a few letters turns into a race for the entire alphabet of small letters. But all of the letters are too much for the tree and they all fall to be rescued and cared for by their big letters. But did little a learn its lesson?

  My daughter heard this book in school and has begged for it ever since. I can't say a whole lot for the artwork, but the letters are large and easy to see while the "scenery" is very minimalist. It is nice to see the alphabet treated in a whole new way.
  
  

• Great rhythmic book
  By A31AEG9KOZ8Q9F on 2005-02-28
  This book is so much fun to read, and the bright pictures are very attractive to kids. As a bonus, your child learns their ABCs! Although keep in mind that they won't learn the sounds the letters make, like in other alphabet books (such as Dr. Seuss's ABC), which is more helpful for learning to read. Still, you can't really say a bad word about this book. It's great fun!
  
  
• Review from Illinios
  By A1FKVQNH27QV9D on 1999-12-02
  This is a wonderful book, especially for young children learning their alphabet. My younger brother knows most of this book by heart from hearing it read to him over and over. He likes when after all the letters fall out of the tree how it explains how each one is jumbled and twisted. This book is fun for everyone.
  
  
• Oh, Those Pesky Alphabet Letters!
  By A18M68DE1Y6W51 on 2002-07-27
  A told B and B told C...

  And so begins this delightful, rhythmic cadence as we follow the naughty alphabet letters up and down a coconut tree! This book is so much fun, and so perfect for very young children. As the letters chase each other up and down the tree, the inevitable happens...they all fall down! And then what happens? They start all over again.

  Your kids will delight, as mine did, in the rapid pace, rhythmic wording (you just can't help swaying along with the words) and bright, bold, simple illustrations. And you will rejoice that they know their alphabet in no time flat. A wonderful, wonderful book, timeless and fun.
  
  

• Traumatizing
  By A3VJH7EY69S857 on 2005-10-03
  Ok, this going to sound strange but this book has upset my child terribly, we think it has to do with all the injuries the letters receive. She really has a problem with it and 4 weeks later she still talks about, she was read it and the song in her school. We think because she has apraxia and some OT/sensory/gravity issues this is why. Another OT therapist said she got the same reaction after reading it.
  
  Now I am not a particularly overprotective parent or one who has some sort of social agenda. It's just when your child is visibly upset and remains so to the point of not wanting to go back to school something is there. She says nothing bad happened at the same time like a kid falling down or related bad thing. She says the book makes her really sad and that she would not be sad if she was older. She is very skittish when the abominable snowman from Rudolph comes on.
  
  So for most of you it looks like no problem but if you have a child "with an issue" just be careful.
  
  
• 5th grader here!
  By on 2005-11-03
  Hey, I am a fifth grader and I have a reading buddy who is a second grader! And this IS his favorite book!
  
  
• A preschooler's book adults can love
  By on 1997-08-14
  Sometimes I despair of finding a decent children's book written after 1960. All that seems to be written these days is heavy, awful didactic stuff that appears to be written by someone who has never even seen a child, let alone talked to one. When I sit down to read to my little nephews, I generally turn to the classics of my childhood, or of my parents' childhood. And then I discovered Chicka Chicka Boom Book.

  The book is nothing more than an extended rhyme about the letters of the alphabet climbing (and falling from) a coconut tree. The artwork is extrememly simple- it reminds me a little of Matisse' paper cutouts. The text has a wonderful rhythmic structure that has kids chanting along in no time. "Chicka chicka boom boom- will there be enough room? A, B and C up the coconut tree!"

  It sounds silly. I know. But I really love this book.
  
  

• Parents and kids will love this fun book!
  By A2X7ISFTM9R7RI on 2003-08-04
  I enjoyed this book so much, I am purchasing the board book version of it. It is one of the few books I have read to my daughter and day care children that totally drew them in from the second line. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a daring yet impish race of the small alphabet letters up to the top of a coconut tree with vivid artwork on every page. When the tree is weighed down with all the letters, it bends and the child-like letters fall down to be picked up by the large letters described as the mamas and the papas and the uncles and the aunts. Theya re all gathered up and put to bed when all the sudden out comes little a again..and the fun starts again. It is so fun to read for the adults too. What a great way to show the relationship betwen large and small alphabet letters! We even started a game with me saying, "Chicka chicka?" and them cheering back, "BOOM BOOM!"

  The author captures the tone of children at play, keeps a rhythm that is easy to follow, and provides a warm sunny way for children to remember the alphabet. It is well worth the money and I will look for more offerings from the author in the future. I also used it as a tool for homeschooling my daughter who has just turned 4. After the purchase and use of this book, she can easily recognize all letters large and small which makes it so much easier when you work on phonics and early reading. The book made it FUN and that is what I liked the most.

  Get this book!!! It's educational, affordable, and fun!
  
  

• A favorite of my nephew's
  By AKHJVOYEX6QME on 2005-07-19
  As I am the designated book shopper of the family, my sister mentioned to me when my nephew was about 6 months old that he was really getting into books with a rhythm to them, and that she was interested in an ABC book for him. I found this book and sent it off to them, and it was very popular with both my nephew and his siblings. I've since bought it as a kids gift for lots of other kids! The bouncy beat of the story and the personification of the letters as they dance, climb trees etc. makes the story fun and offers painless learning.
  
  
• This is a great book to help children learn the alphabet
  By A2NHN19E3NW6C4 on 2000-02-21
  I first read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom three years ago when I began my second Nanny Position. The little girl I was taking care of at he time told me she could read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to me, but with her being only three I did not believe her. As I sat down and waited for her to begin the book, I was in shock at first as she was reciting the book almost work for word, I soon came to realize that she had learned the book from various repetiton of hearing her parents read it to her. I not only fell in love with this book because it it can be used as a teaching tool, but because it has great color,and is exciting. This book has great content for teaching the order of the alaphabet and the illustrations go perfect with the book. I suggest it to everyone I know who has small children.
  
  
• Reflection
  By on 2000-04-18
  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a creative and fun book that introduces the alphabet to children. Archambault and Martin do a brilliant job of combining colors and rhyme to make the book exciting to children of all ages. The book is about lower-case letters who climb a coconut tree, but is the tree strong enough to hold them all...chicka chicka boom boom! The illustrator uses colors that are bright and exuberant. These types of colors are exciting and designed to keep young children entertained throughout the book. The colors along with the simplistic pictures allow the child to be entertained while also permitting them to pay attention to the words. As the book begins, the pages are empty except for the coconut tree and three letters. As the book hits climax, the page is filled with different colors and letters. As the denouement begins, the pages become less and less crowded and become as empty as they began. The illustrator also gives each of the letters personalities. Letters personify different characteristics of children. The letter "a" is a trouble-maker because "a" starts the book and is starting it again at the end of the book. The rhyme and rhythm of the book make the words fun and vivacious. The words have a flowing rhythm and remains in the reader's head even after the book is finished. Child readers learn the book quickly and can say the words along with the reader. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom captivates young audiences as they learn about the alphabet. This picture book combines rhyme and colors to educate preschool children as they sing the words. This book helps the children to see the letters as well as hear them presented in the correct order. The book also has the front and back covered with the upper-case letters so the children can learn the letters.
  
  
• My Kids Love Chika Chika Boom Boom
  By A2DFU3TTZYOOT2 on 2000-10-10
  My kids (ages 2, 3 and 4) LOVE this book. I bought the book with a cassette tape that my children absolutely wore out. The book (only a year old) is taped together and coming apart from the many readings. The cassette was wonderful; with several versions of "Chika Chika Boom Boom" being sung and read. MY favorites are the spoken word by Ray Charles and the group of children singing the story. A wonderful collection to my kids growing book rack.
  
  
• Letters, letters, here we go!
  By ATWVC3WQOZSFS on 2002-01-27
  Living in a book filled with books and kids is heaven. We read aloud every day here in our house, and letter books have been favorites for years and years when the kids start learning to read. We live in Norway and speak Norwegian, so most of our children's books are also in Norwegian. Still, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is among the favorites. The text, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault is so simple and still so filled with rhymes and humour. And Lois Ehlart's colorful illustrations go perfect with the words.

  Learning the letters and learning to read can be a hard task for a child, and the book captures this perfectly. The letters live their own lives, climbing up the coconut tree, falling down again, bending, looping, having fun.......exactly what letters do when you are a newbie and try to sort them out. Any child will laugh of the way the letters act, and the sometimes hard task of learning the letters will be a wonderful game the child wants to play over and over again

  We love this book in our house, and can recommens it to any young readers.

  Britt Arnhild in Norway
  
  

• Michelle
  By on 2002-11-20
  As a favorite book of a friend, we received this book as a gift. "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" starts off well with nice rhymes and good rhythm, but deteriorates into little more than the reciting of the last half of the alphabet, which was very disappointing. I would skip this one.
  
  
• Favorite of preschoolers
  By A1BIDOBNJZS80V on 2005-03-16
  My son loved this book for about 2 years when he was a preschooler. The rhythm is great to the verse, fun to read and listen to. We started with the board book which had a bit shorter text, then moved to the full edition in paperback when he was a bit older.
  
  
• Great Alphabet Intro
  By A2FWFJ9PV0OLXO on 2005-04-11
  This wonderfully rhythmic book is the perfect introduction to the alphabet for young kids. It's illustrations, although simple, are sufficient to show children the basic form of letters. The story is written more like a song and the words will stay with you and your little ones for the rest of the day! All the letters go up the tree and...uh oh!!!...They all fall down! My only criticism is that the letters are all lower case letters and my boys began learning their capital letters first. This means that my boys don't make the connections between some of the letters in the book and the ones they know. Regardless, it's a silly little story and rhyme that you just can't get out of your head. Chika chika boom BOOM!
  
  
• A must have book
  By A3J1ZT0JJR9J87 on 2006-08-17
  I first read this to my son when he was one and a half months old. He smiled and (almost) laughed, he liked it so much. Amazing that a book can do that to a child at that age. He still loves it, and you'll be amazed how quickly you learn to recite it by memory. It comes in handy all the time -- waiting in the doctor's office, riding in the car, anytime he starts to fuss. And it doesn't matter if I don't even have the book around -- I just say it and the words capture his attention. Excellent.
  
  
• Fun and Educational
  By A3809ZBRA06I5M on 2006-08-19
  I read this to my preschoolers almost everyday. They call it the Coconut Book. They're learning the alphabet, identifying letters, and building their vocabulary.
  
  
• My daughter loves it. 'Nuff said. :-)
  By A2WDDGZ3RAHFNA on 2000-02-23
  This has to be the most chantable book in her library. The rhythm just carries you along, and you may find yourself singing nonsense passages even after you put the book down.
  
  
• Their favorite book.
  By on 2001-07-30
  My 22 month old has demanded we read this book at least once a day for several months now. When my grandchildren, 2 1/2 and 5 1/2, are here we read it over & over. The oldest now has it memorized. The rhythm of the rhyme is fun and they love the bright illustrations. Warning--the repeated readings mean you will memorize it soon as well and it keeps running in your head!
  
  

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
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