Jean Luc tried and failed. You will too if you attempt to resist the charm of Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho. But, I’m too old for an alphabet book. I don’t need to look at shapes, where’s my cell phone? Chicka Chicka is for babies and the level of creativity and enjoy for that tripe ends when you turn seven. Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho says hold my juice box. This is fun. This book runs with energy, has a contained story, but is reminiscent of something classic and punches with seasonal Christmas tidings that forces kids to have fun with a book-something they had unconsciously sworn off when the winter break started.
Most importantly, Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho passes the Christmas Music Test. Can you read the book at any point in the year and enjoy it, or is it only entertaining during the Christmas season? Most songs fail this test and very few books pass this litmus test as easily as Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho does. There is a Christmas tree in the book that serves as a central character, but it’s the action that happens around the tree, as opposed to the tree itself that is the true star of the book.
It’s the letters of the alphabet that do the talking. The lower case a, b and c get things started by saying that they need to decorate the branches of the Christmas tree. They call in the rest of the letters who are all connected via a string to act as a decoration. As the alphabet starts to get to the letter ‘Z’, a present gets placed under the tree, which tilts the entire thing, letters and all, onto the floor. ‘a’ sees some more shapes, like a circle, rhombus, triangle and others that can be placed under it to help stabilize the tree or assist the letters get back into place. Once all of the shapes are in place, the letters organize themselves on the Christmas tree, with the myriad of presents completing the edges at the bottom with the chicka chicka chorus that kids have come to know and love taking them out.
Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho effortlessly entertains young readers or audiences in its vicinity. It’s specifically built for those youth aged four through eight years old who haven’t bought into the baloney that reading is not fun. This is that story time, read-to-me magic that has the potential to light up a crowd of ages that don’t want to sit down. However, story time is that contained period of time when their bubbling, manic energy has the potential to be captured, but not diluted. Rather, it can be encapsulated in a device that channels their temporary lucidity. Illustrated books can be amazing things when they are presented in the correct manner.
This is an illustrated book that’s been created so that it’s nearly impossible for children not to enjoy it. Granted it will be too simple for some audiences, like those who are third or fourth grade, but the book wasn’t made for them. Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho still has the rhyming cadence that younger audiences won’t say that they want, but it’s one that they really enjoy. The book also has the fun and energy that the great illustrated books have. These books are fun to read and easy for kids to picture themselves in the story witnessing or doing the silly things that they see on the pages.
In addition to the story, it’s the colors and production of the book the draw people in. The shapes to the Christmas tree and the present are vibrant, bright and have ultra sharp lines. The book’s oversize format provides a big canvas for the colors, letters and Christmas illustrations to do their thing. And in this case, their thing is to combine for an instant classic of a illustrated book that reminds fans of how fun Chicka Chicka is, in addition to adding that that seasonal pop to young readers with Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho.
Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho is by William Boniface with illustrations b Julien Chung and is based on Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault and is available on Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
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