Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
1989 picture book by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault and illustrated by Lois Ehlert
1-55924-577-8Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is an American children's picture book written by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert,[1] and published by Simon & Schuster in 1989. The book teaches the alphabet through rhyming couplets, and charted The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books in 2000.[2]
Plot
The lowercase alphabet climb up a coconut tree in order, but their increasing weight makes the tree lean over, causing them to fall out of the tree. Shortly after, the uppercase alphabet (the older relatives of the lowercase alphabet) comes to their aid. While being rescued in alphabetical order, many of the letters receive certain injuries. Later that night, the letter "A" gets up and climbs back up the coconut tree, proposing a double dare on the rest of the alphabet to catch him.
Sequels, spin-offs and related media
An abridged version of the book entitled Chicka Chicka ABC was published in 1990, which contains the first half of the original story up to the point where the alphabet falls out of the coconut tree.[3] A follow-up book featuring numbers, entitled Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3, was published on July 2, 2004, with Michael Sampson as author in addition to Martin Jr. and Ehlert.[4]
Several audiobook versions are available, including one narrated by Ray Charles. Additionally, a CD-ROM game based on the book was released in 1995 by Davidson and Simon & Schuster Interactive.
Weston Woods Studios made an animated musical short film adaptation of the book in 1999, with music composed and performed by Crystal Taliefero.[5]
A 2005 episode of the Nick Jr. series Blue's Room entitled "Alphabet Power" featured the letters from the book (in puppet form) visiting Blue and teaching her early reading skills; the book Chicka Chicka ABC is also read towards the end of the episode.
Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho, a Christmas-themed retelling of the story written by William Boniface and illustrated by Julien Cheng in which the letters are decorations on a Christmas tree, will be published on October 1, 2024.[6] Two more books entitled Chicka Chicka I Love Mom and Chicka Chicka I Love Dad will be published on March 11, 2025.[7][8]
Album
| Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Other Coconutty Songs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by John Archambault and David Plummer | |
| Released | 2000 |
| Recorded | 1991–1992 |
| Genre | Children's music |
| Label | Youngheart Records |
| Producer | David Plummer & John Archambault |
In 1992, Archambault released an album composed of several songs based on the storybook entitled Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Other Coconutty Songs, along with musician David Plummer. It was named a 1992 "Notable Children's Recording American Library Association and in 1993, won a Parents' Choice Award.[9][10] Its main track was the title song Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which was the book's title.
Track list
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" | 2:25 |
| 2. | "ABC Song" | 0:54 |
| 3. | "Braggin' Dragon" | 2:20 |
| 4. | "Helicopter Man" | 2:23 |
| 5. | "Merry-Go-Round" | 2:36 |
| 6. | "Didgereedoo" | 3:08 |
| 7. | "Counting Sheep" | 2:25 |
| 8. | "B-A-Bay" | 1:51 |
| 9. | "5 Little Monkeys" | 0:19 |
| 10. | "Here Comes Another One" | 3:00 |
| 11. | "Saturday Night At The Fair" | 2:01 |
| 12. | "Jump Rope Rhymes" | 2:00 |
| 13. | "Chicka Chicka Funk" | 3:36 |
References
- ^ "JohnArchambault.com <Books Written with Bill Martin, Jr.>". Archived from the original on 2011-03-09. Retrieved 2011-02-22. John Archambault: Books
- ^ "Best Sellers : December 17, 2000". The New York Times. December 17, 2000. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ Martin, Bill (1993). Chicka chicka a b c (First Little Simon board book ed.). New York, New York: Little Simon. ISBN 0-671-87893-X.
- ^ Martin, Bill (2004). Chicka chicka 1, 2, 3 (First ed.). New York, New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-689-85881-7.
- ^ Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (2002), retrieved 2022-08-11
- ^ Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho. 2024-10-01. ISBN 978-1-6659-5476-1.
- ^ Chicka Chicka I Love Mom. 2025-03-11. ISBN 978-1-6659-6683-2.
- ^ Chicka Chicka I Love Dad. 2025-03-11. ISBN 978-1-6659-6685-6.
- ^ "For Halloween, learning about skeletons, and some tips on the art of the pumpkin". The Sun – Baltimore, Md. Oct 14, 1994. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
- ^ "Notable children's recording". Emergency Librarian. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
