The Animal Boogie (Hardcover)

by Debbie Harter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Harter (Walking Through the Jungle) once again plunges into a flamboyantly hued jungle, andAas the title hintsAthe joint is jumpin'. With a cast of multi-ethnic children (including a wheelchair-bound girl) serving as guides, readers discover that all the inhabitants have rhythm, like the fluffy black bear with a purple nose who "goes shake, shake, boogie, woogie, oogie!" and a hooded red snake with blue polka dots who "goes slither, slither, boogie, woogie, oogie!" Harter offers up spirited animal characterizations on each spread: a wiry orange monkey swings through the sapphire sky, a lean saffron leopard covers two spreads in a single leap. The paper-over-board book's visual electricity, along with its irresistible repetition of the "oogie" sound and rollicking beat (a simple music score is included at the end of the book, so the text can be sung) make this a particularly good choice for a lively group with an itch to move. Ages 2-6. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-Filled with brilliant tropical colors, this lively picture book combines poetry, song, and dance into a dazzling and fun-packed guessing game. On one double spread, the text reads, "Down in the jungle, come if you dare!/What can you see shaking here and there?" A clue in the illustration shows a boy peaking at an animal that is partly concealed by a large tree. A turn of the page reveals a bear that likes to dance: "Shake, shake, boogie, woogie, oogie!/That's the way she's shaking here and there." A monkey, a leopard, an elephant, and several other creatures also move in their own particular ways. The rhythm of the text encourages children to boogie-woogie right along. The vivid illustrations, done in watercolor, crayon, and pen and ink, show lush jungle scenes, colorful animals, and a cast of smiling children. A simple musical score is included. Similar in tone to Harter's Walking through the Jungle (Orchard, 1997), this book makes a great choice for storyhours.
Karen Land, Greenport Public School, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Books (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841480940
• ISBN-13: 978-1841480947
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #468,131 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My boys love this book!, October 19, 2005

By	Tina (Maine) - See all my reviews

My boys love reading Animal Boogie and my 3 year old often requests to keep it on his bed so he can read it by himself when he wakes up in the morning. Both he and his 16 month old brother love the lyrics and the tune. We have made up motions to go with the words and they love dancing to the book. I was thankful that our copy came with a CD so I could learn the right tune. There is music on the last page, but I had a hard time figuring out the rythym of the last page, so I was thankful for the CD. I think their favorite is the Bear! Shake Shake Boogie Woogie Oogie!! They just giggle, it's so cute!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids love this book!, September 22, 2003

By	Wily Dog "wilydog" (Evergreen, CO USA) - See all my reviews

We checked this out at the library and after one reading I knew we needed our own copy. We've had it for a year now and they still squeal when I take it from the shelf. We made up our own motions to go with the lyrics. The girls love pointing out the colorful birds and critters in the pictures so much, it takes forever to read it,... It's a delight!

I was happy to see that on this web page credit is given to the woman who wrote the lyrics. Our copy only has Debbie Harter's name on it (and I looked for a writer's name). ... Stella Blackstone earned it--this book is a riot.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rhythmic, fun, and educational, January 13, 2007

By	Jess "Joy" (NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Animal Boogie PB w CD (Sing Along With Fred Penner) (Paperback)

A comment from another reader describes this book as "inane" and unoriginal, but I have to disagree. This book is wonderful! Studies show that repeating patterns of words and rhythms, with just a word or two changing between verses, actually helps strengthen beginning readers' vocabularies, word recognition, and understanding of sequence and structure, all important parts of literacy. The colors in this book are beautiful. There are many interesting details in the illustrations, and I noticed there are little ways that the human characters match up with the animal ones. The CD is great, too - there is a full vocal version as well as an instrumental version, and the tune is really bouncy and catchy. As the editorial review mentions, it is one of the few books I've found that actually includes a child with a disability, which I think is important for young readers to be able to see. I have a six-year-old and twin two-year-olds, and we enjoy this book very much.