Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin Jr.

Chicka Chicka ABC Reviews

• 
  Whitney Erwin

  This is one of my favorite children's books ever! It is a classic every single child needs to have on their bookshelf. My grandma read this book to me when I was little, and it brought me such joy! I have a lot of good memories surrounding this book. I've read it to both my daughters so many times that I don't even have to look at the words anymore to read it. We are on on our 2nd copy of the book because my oldest daughter wore the first copy out. Chicka chicka boom boom is such a fun, cute story and a great way to learn ABCs!
• 
  Jason Koivu

  * * * Sung & reviewed by my niece and I * * *
  
  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is an alphabet learning book and waaay below my 6-year-old niece's reading level, but we enjoyed the heck out of it anyway!
  
  Letters A through Z climb up a coconut tree. Eventually they fall with a boom, only to begin all over again.
  
  The rhyme scheme in this book makes it excellent for singing. Plus, the words "chicka chicka boom boom" punctuate some of the pages, making for a great chorus. So, I sang the book and my niece provided an energetic series of CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOMS!!! every now and then...occasionally when they weren't even on the page. She just went with it, improvising to her heart's content.
  
  "That was awesome! Can we do it again?!"
  "Yes, yes we can."
• 
  Quinn Breen

  25/25 Q's @MRS.MORGAN
  
  This book puts Shakespeare and Hamilton to shame. A children's book, yet studied by Harvard and Yale scholars. Albert Einstein and Bill Nye the Science Guy were read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom as children. Upon dissection of a child's brain, they found that this book had increased the size of their frontal lobe by 500%. In fact, to be accepted to Harvard, one must write a 30-page essay about the significance of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. It is said, that students who read this book once a day, will pass all AP exams they take in their life.
  
• 
  Andre Gonzalez

  Quick and fun read with the kids!
• 
  Dan Schwent

  A bunch of letters climb up a coconut tree and fall back down, getting injured in the process. Will they learn their lesson or keep climbing up the coconut tree?
  
  I don't know who bought this for my son or when they did but he ignored it for a very long time until I found it under the couch a few days ago. Since then, I've read it at least five times a day.
  
  The art is cute but very simplistic and the rhythm is good for reading out loud. I'd say it's an average kid's book.
• 
  Lisa

  I love this one. I read it to Gabe for the first time today and I can tell he's going to love it too. He was enthralled by the rhythm.
• 
  Becca

  Excellent. Vibrant, helpful, fun to read. This really holds up. I Love You Forever could never.
• 
  midnightfaerie

  Although I see this on many children's lists, and it was in the "Kindergarten box" I borrowed from the library (A whole box you can check out that are picked out a head of time based on a theme, letters, numbers, shapes, etc.), but my kids found it "okay". I'm wondering if maybe it just didn't hold their attention long enough for them to understand the story. It' is a cute concept with nice illustrations, just not one of our favorites.
• 
  Deborah

  I decided to read classic children’s books from picture books to young adult stories that I either never read as a child or were published later. In this 20th anniversary edition, children can read aloud or sing along learning the alphabet. The alphabet comes alive in bright colorful moving letters with fun lively rhymes. What a delight for any child learning to read!
• 
  Beth

  We read this often. It makes Emily smile. :)
• 
  Karl Fredrick

  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is an incredibly deep commentary on human instincts, written superbly by the great Bill Martin Jr. At the beginning of the story, we meet our protagonist, "A", who's goal is to beat all the other letters to the top of the coconut tree. What I enjoy the most about Bill Martin Jr's novel is how it doesn't waste any time. As soon as A is introduced, we're immediately shown his motivations and his end goal, without any dillydallying. He is a simple character with a simple mission, and because of this, a backstory or other form of overly long character background check isn't necessary. Martin Jr is well aware of this, and introduces A accordingly. We meet other characters as the story goes along, such as B and C for example. They all have great personalities, but fall somewhat short to the incredible character achievement that is A. However, a lot of them have distinct character traits that make them interesting, such as Loose-Tooth T.
  
  The book's main conflict occurs when all the lowercase letters of the alphabet, (who are geniusly portrayed as children) try to be the first to make it to the top of the iconic tree, but end up falling and injuring themselves, having to be helped by their parents. This is the message that a lot of reviewers are failing to see. The letters are just like us. As a species, humans are captivated with the idea of pushing farther and farther, but never stop to think if we should, whether it will harm us in the long run or not. We are lowercase letters, obsessed with climbing further and further up the coconut tree. And eventually, it will be too late. We'll fall. But unlike the lowercases, we won't have uppercase letters to come save us. It's up to us and us alone to decide whether or not we choose to climb the coconut tree.
  
  Despite all this, at the end of the book we're shown A sitting firmly at the top of the tree after all the other letters had gone home. This gave me a lot of mixed feelings. Yes, it was a fitting end to A's character arc, as he completed his goal and went through the hero's journey. However, it also gave me a bit of sadness. It's slightly depressing that A is so obsessed with getting to the top of the tree, that he does so in the middle of the night, with no on around to see him. Some might say this is just dedication, and shows A's determination, (one of his defining character traits) but I find it somewhat disheartening. This is another genius hint at the book's deeper meaning by Bill Martin Jr.
  
  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a book about society. About human beings. About life. It saddens me that some might even think to give Bill Martin Jr's bestseller one star, because it means that they clearly didn't see the books deeper meaning. Or perhaps, they're too scared to look for it.
• 
  Nicholas

  This is the best book I’ve ever read in my whole life-
• 
  dea

  In tears writing this. This book changed my life for the better and I could never express my gratitude. In the wise words from someone important to me, chicka chicka, boom boom. <3
• 
  Gail Cooke

  
  You're not going to believe this alphabet book - it's bold, bright and beautiful! Brilliant colors fill each polka-dot bordered page as the alphabet begins its adventurous journey to the top of a coconut tree. The rhymes are irresistible and fun to read again and again.
  
  CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM 2010 is the first oversized board book edition, and in this case bigger is definitely better – more eye-popping than ever. Originally published in 1989 this alphabet book has appealed to generations of youngsters and shows no signs of slowing down. Now, the latest edition gives an entirely new generation of children the opportunity to learn as they play beginning with "A told B, and B told C, `I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree.''
  
  What a festive way to learn ABC's all the way through to “Last to come X Y Z. And the sun goes down on the coconut tree...”
  
  Enjoy!
  
  - Gail Cooke
• 
  Nancy Kotkin

  Very entertaining alphabet book with lots of word play. Effective use of text refrains and the whole alphabet is repeated for reinforcement. Bold, blocky illustrations use lots of vibrant swaths of tropical color.
  
• 
  Erica Henry

  I actually really enjoyed this. I even turned it into a rap song. I'm going to go ahead and guess that the author intended it to be that way.
• 
  Alex

  This one's great!
• 
  La Coccinelle

  This is a great example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
  
  I wasn't even sure what I was in for when I picked this one up. The cover doesn't do the book any justice. It's an alphabet book in rhyme, and what a rhyme it is! To really appreciate it, you should read it aloud. I did (thank goodness there was nobody around!) and got totally sucked in. It's almost like you're performing a chant, or one of those clapping games from childhood (well, my childhood; I may be dating myself here). The basic premise is that all the lowercase letters climb to the top of the coconut tree... which can't hold them all. After they all fall down, everyone's upset and the capital letters come running to help. It's a different sort of concept for an alphabet book.
  
  The pictures are simple--perhaps a little too simple--but then again, so is the story. It's the rhyme that's the real star here. This would be fun to read to kids... and I imagine that, after a few read-throughs, the kids would be joining in!
  
  Quotable moment:
  
  

  
• 
  Lia Snegireff

  One of my favorite books when I was younger :D
• 
  olivia

  i accidentally stole this from my kindergarten library when i was little and not worth it. i could only "chicka chicka boom boom" so many times before it got old. would not steal again.
• 
  Lstirl

  A fun alphabet rhyme when one get's tired of the classic ABC song.
  
  The colors and the artwork are superb in this fun alphabet book. They are simple, bright and a pleasure to look at, which is a must in a picture book. The rhyme is fun and catchy and sure to engage small children. There is even a dramatic, if simple story, as the letters climb and then fall from the tree. The sound effects are fun and really add to the enjoyment.
  
  My only real complaint is the messed up letters. Some of the letters get damaged when falling out of the tree. I could see a small child being confused by the new shape of the letter when they are just learning to identify letters. Because of this, I view this book as a good verbal introduction to the letters, rather than as an alphabet teaching book.
  
  Publishers Weekly
  
  In this bright and lively rhyme, the letters of the alphabet race each other to the top of the coconut tree. When X, Y and Z finally scramble up the trunk, however, the weight is too much, and down they all tumble in a colorful chaotic heap: ``Chicka Chicka . . . BOOM! BOOM!'' All the family members race to help, as one by one the letters recover in amusingly battered fashion. Poor stubbed toe E has a swollen appendage, while F sports a jaunty Band-Aid and P is indeed black-eyed. As the tropic sun goes down and a radiant full moon appears, indomitable A leaps out of bed, double-daring his colleagues to another treetop race. This nonsense verse delights with its deceptively simple narrative and with the repetition of such catchy phrases as ``skit skat skoodle doot.'' Ehlert's bold color scheme, complete with hot pink and orange borders, matches the crazy mood perfectly. Children will revel in seeing the familiar alphabet transported into this madcap adventure. Ages 2-6. (Oct.)
  Children's Literature
  
  I agree with the descriptors such as bold, catchy, lively and crazy. That is about how I would describe this book. This review doesn't really evaluate the books role as an alphabet book, though.
  
  Are you bored with the classic ABC song that ends " Now I know my ABC's, won't you sing them back to me"? Then try this jazzy song with a tropical beat. "A told B, and B told C, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree.'" "Whee!" asid D to EFG, "Ill beat you to the top of the coconut tree." The race is on and the big question is "Chica chica boom boom, will there be enough room?" What a grand way to start a wintry day. ~Children's Literature
  
  This review is almost useless. It just gives a few lines from the book with no evaluation except a grand way to start a wintry day. That is a rather, for want of a better word, dumb way review a book. Why winter? Why grand? Neither word has anything to do with the mood of this book. I did not like this review.
• 
  Matthew

  Amazon rated this book as one of the top 100 influential books for Children and after checking it out from the library I have to agree that this book should be read to children of all ages. You get to learn about the alphabet and at the same time find an enchanting story to entertain kids and yourself.
  
  The story is about how the alphabets in alphabetical order start to climb this coconut tree and everything seems perfect at first but then later on the tree cannot handle all those letters and CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM! Most if not all the letters have become damaged someway or another and yet they continue on enjoying the fun of climbing the coconut tree.
  
  I actually found myself smiling throughout the story and laughing at certain parts and found the ending to be interesting. I had no clue what I was getting myself into when reading this book and yet I found Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to be a book that resonates for all ages. What I love most about children books when written well for children is having the ability to entertain the kid long along to capture their attention, teach them a lesson, and the hardest part of all is for them not to realize they are learning that is not boring or tedious. That is why I am a firm believer of Dr. Seuss and Bill Martin Jr. reaches the gold standard for me too.
• 
  Krista

  This was the first book I heard my children "read" to themselves. The easy rhythm of the words following through the alphabet are very memorable and just plain fun to say. This story lends to dancing and singing and is wonderful for beginning K or preschool. It is a fun way to learn the alphabet as well. It is an alphabet book, very easy to read, with colorful pictures, so I would classify it as a picture book.
  
  The story of this book is the letters of the alphabet meeting at the top of the coconut tree as you run through the alphabet, wondering if there will be enough room for all the letters to fit.
  
  If I was a K teacher I would definitely incorporate this into the beginning of the year where students could make their own alphabet book once they have learned to write each of the letters, or even an ongoing book project where each letter is added through the first 26 days. It has endless potential.
• 
  Marlene

  All six of my kids either really love or have loved this book. Our kindergarten and preschool always include it in their curriculum. I like it because the lowercase letters are the focal point of the story, and yet the capital letters are all included as well. I wouldn't use it as an introduction to the alphabet. I'd always recommend a book focusing on the capital letters for that. But once a child knows at least most of the capital letters, this book is a great way to introduce the lowercase ones. :-) Kids love the tree getting overloaded with letters, and I've seen some teachers with manipulative materials that reinforce the story. (I think I've seen those in the Constructive Playthings catalog.) Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, this book is a winner because of the catchy rhyme and the level of interest it incites in children. :-)
• 
  Geneva Roberts

  This book was colorful which alone was appealing for me but also the "chicka, chicka , boom boom!" rhyme was very catchy and my five year old and two year old sons were having fun repeating it hours after I had read it to them. The book delivers a fun story and lesson on the letters of the alphabet and recognition. This book would be a must have for any classroom for early childhood educators.
  
  extension- have some magnetic letters and either draw a coconut tree or have one put up with magnets and have each child add the letter to the coconut tree going in order of the alphabet to see if they remember what comes next.