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Summary
Summary
From the co-author of the bestselling Chicka Chicka Boom Boom comes this adorable counting adventure for children of all ages! Suzanne Tanner Chitwood's colorful collage artwork features mischievous mice dancing through the story. Readers can count down the Congo Line and tally up the Tangoing, Tip-Toeing mice on every page, and learn about time, too!A rollicking, rhythmic romp through the numbers. Read it out loud-it rocks.
Author Notes
John Archambault is a poet, a former journalist, a story-teller, a songwriter and a prolific author of children's books. Born in Pasadena, California, Mr. Archambault attended the University of California, Riverside, as well as Columbia Teachers College in New York City. He travels all over the country, speaking to children and teachers about the joys of reading, and has created six musical CD compilations with Youngheart Music. He has also written over a dozen books for children, often collaboarting with Bill Martin, Jr., as in the popular Chicka Chicka Boom Boom , for which he is best known. Mr. Archambault lives in Yorba Linda, California.
Suzanne Tanner Chitwood has had a passion for art ever since she was a little girl. A former elemenarty art teacher, she made her debut in children's books in 2002 with her picture book Wake Up, Big Barn! , which was praised for its unique torn-paper illustrations. Ms. Chitwood lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-At night, mice wearing numbers emerge one by one from the kitchen clock. Ready to play, they prepare for a rollicking party with birthday cake served on the good china, but they have to be wary of Max the cat. Predictably, the feline awakens, with readers becoming aware of this fact before the rodents do. It is not clear why, but they must return to the clock by midnight, because "Tomorrow can't begin/Till every hour is home/And every number's tucked in," thus providing an element of suspense to the tale. The rollicking refrain-"Boom Chicka Rock, Chicka Rock, Chicka Boom!"-will have children moving to the rhythm, but at times the rhymes seem forced. Unfortunately, too many details clutter the text-the mice refer to Max by name and also as Lion. The numerous references to dances are fun-the Electric Slide, the Bunny Hop, Tango, Fandango-but again, complicate the verses. Chitwood's patterned collage illustrations are set against neutral backgrounds. They have an appealing textural quality and successfully convey the movement and drama of the story. There are echoes of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (S & S, 1989) here-with numbers instead of the alphabet, but this book lacks the earlier work's elegant simplicity.-Robin L. Gibson, formerly at Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Unfortunately, this confusing counting book makes a weak companion to Archambault's now classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, co-authored with Bill Martin Jr. The repeated and infectious refrain-this time it's "Boom Chicka Rock, Chicka Rock, Chicka Boom!"-is engaging, but neither art nor text clarify the complicated plot and visual clues. Without explanation, the characters go by various names (Max the cat is sometimes called Lion, the mouse is sometimes Hour Number One); and only near the end of the book do readers discover that the 12 mice represent the hours on the clock ("Tomorrow can't begin/ Till every hour is home/ And every number's tucked in"). Because there is such variance between what the text describes and what the illustrations depict, it's almost as if Archambault and Chitwood (Wake Up, Big Barn!) are telling two different stories. For example, for mouse Number Eight's line, "Climb over the Lion before it's too late/ And jitterbug over to the Birthday Cake!," the illustration shows neither cat nor cake and depicts only two of the eight rodents as they gleefully ride inside sugar and cereal bowls with wheels. Nor does the body language of the mice indicate the dances mentioned at various points in the text. Despite some clever rhythms and wonderful collage compositions featuring expressive mouse characters, the plot of the story is so abstract that the inclusion of time seems to muddle rather than complement the counting rhyme. All ages. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
The co-author of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tells a much less successful tale in rhyme, this time about mice who come down from their homes in a clock when the cat is asleep. The plot is confusing, and much of the rhyme is awkward to read aloud without stumbling. Chitwood's torn-paper collage illustrations depict mice having a grand old time, but readers will close the book wondering what it was all about. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Spirited torn-paper collages show the nighttime romp of a group of mice. One mouse emerges from behind each number of a clock face; they leap and frolic, pursue cake, and scramble to get back before the clock needs them to start the next day. The numbered mice (one to twelve, naturally) riff on dancing and on the sleeping cat Max (also called Lion): " 'Fast as you can!' said Number TEN. / 'Let's Electric Slide through the Lion's den! / I'm Big Daddy, Dancing Daddy, double-digit Ten-- / Lion can't catch me and I'll say it again.' " Occasionally, extra syllables make the reading bumpier than Archambault's Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (with Bill Martin Jr.), but the refrain is supremely satisfying; expect listeners to parade around for days chanting, "Everybody rock! Around the room! / Boom Chicka Rock, Chicka Rock, Chicka Boom!" Jazzy. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
