Chicky Chicky Chook Chook

I bought this book on a whim to add to my son's Easter basket. He was a bit ambivalent at first, but in the last few weeks (at 15 months) he has really fallen in love with this book. It is the first book he has brought to me and "asked" me to read.

My 16 month old daughter loved this book the minute I opened it! The illustrations are fresh and captivating. The story is a new juxtaposition of animals you don't often see together: bees, chicks, and cats. And what a blast it is to read aloud! The freshest aspect of this text is that the rhymes can be read both as fun nonsense or as a real story of the consequences of getting caught in the rain. And the illustrations are freshly fabulous too! Bold colorful images with lots of motion. New ways of drawing flowers and animal legs. The chick eyes are these bold black dots sometimes outside the chick's actual head. This is the kind of compelling new way of drawing that'll have lots of imitators in the future. My daughter loves books and most books hold her attention when I am reading to her. But this is the one that puts a smile on her face the second I bring it out. She buzzes along with the bees and says "chick, chick" when the chicks come out. She brings this one to me to read to her. And that is priceless. I'll sure be looking forward to future works by Cathy MacLennan.

Someone gave us this book, and since I didn't have anything else, I started reading it to my baby (3 months old) every night before bed. I couldn't BELIEVE IT but she would stare and stare at the cute little (african themed) pictures. The words are probably fun for her to hear, and the simple story is just darling. She will sit still the entire time I read it, and sometimes try to grab the bright little animals. I LOVE this book.

Normally I am very tired of hearing authors make up new words and using little sound bites, but not with Chicky Chicky Chook Chook. We read this with a classroom of three-year-olds and they were giggling away. My son loved it at least 7 times! I had to keep reading it just to hear him attempting the new sounds he heard. The talent of Cathy MacLennan goes even further with illustrations briming with imagination and texture!

I bought this book for my nephew who is 18 months old. He absolutely LOVES it. The manner the author/illustrator uses is VERY good. Upon the first reading, my nephew thought the chicks were actually fuzzy. The sounds that make up the text are mesmerizing. The story features bees, chicks, and cats. Children who are learning animals will be captivated. Many times when playing, we'll hear him, "Chicky, chicky, chook chook," or "Snuggle, snuggle, sleepy shine." I was also taken with the methods of illustration. The author was born in Zimbabwe and now lives in the UK. Influences of Africa are apparent in the vivid and sweet illustrations. This book is very enjoyable for toddlers and adults alike!