Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault, ill. by Lois Ehlert

            Picture Book—Alphabet & Rhyme

            Grades PreK-K

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: The rhyme/chant style of text relates what happens when the entire alphabet tries to climb to the top of a coconut tree.

            Chicka Chicka Boom Boom was one of my favorite stories when I was growing up—I used to beg for my mom and dad to read it to me. Reading it again now, I am still enamored by its rhythms and beats that just beg to be chanted out loud. The vibrant colors immediately draw you in as the reader, and complement the interesting cut-out graphics. I feel like the simplicity of this book’s design perfectly relates to its intended message—learning the ABCs in a funky way. I remember as a child being intrigued by the unique circumstances of each individual letter. This certainly helps you as the reader to remember the letters in relation to what their ailment is after falling from the tree. For instance, I know that as a kid I distinguished the letter “f” based on his band-aid and the letter “p” was obviously the one with the black eye! The authors also present the upper-case letters as the “mamas and papas and uncles and aunts” of the lower-case letters, which grants a sense of familiarity in an otherwise foreign concept for children just beginning to learn about letters. Peterson and Eeds describe “problems and circumstances that are authentically human” in the characters of quality literature (p. 40).  Letters are obviously not people, but I think this personification is an effective method of making the concept accessible to young children.

            I know from personal experience that Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is an extremely fun and engaging book when we are learning to become familiar with the alphabet. Many alphabet books tend to focus on words that begin with each letter, but this story describes the letters as elements of literacy that simply interact with each other. I think this departure from the traditional is what makes the story particularly special and one that I would use with students. In addition, the personification that I’ve discussed as a vehicle to engage students is so important in order for them to both enjoy the reading experience and to construct deeper meaning from the story.