Can You Dance to the Boogaloo? by Alice V Lickens

* Alice Lickens is the second UK recipient of the prestigious Sendak Fellowship and has just returned from her month in residence at Maurice Sendak's house in Connecticut USA * A feel-good rhythmical book that's a bright and fun read! * About getting up and moving - a book that celebrates music and dance * Bright and colourful illustrations using a combination of ink and lino prints This feel-good, get-up-and-move story is about breaking out of boundaries. It is designed to explore the get up and go every child has burning within them. The colourful creatures pick up instruments, gathering in number and dancing through the pages finishing off with a dancing-on-the-rooftops night scene. The rhythmical approach sets the pace to the jig and is complemented by the sounds of both the instruments and animals wraparound. Children can also learn the names and sounds of the instruments seen through the pages and join in, in their own way, with the veritable hullabaloo. Approximately 300 words Age range: 3-6 years

Children enjoy dancing and musical instruments and this book combines these with a great story. The book immediately introduces children to a range of musical instruments and the sounds they make. They are played by animals throughout the book. The rhythm of the story immediately gets the reader in the Boogaloo swing!

The illustrations include lots of animals, all playing instruments and dancing to the Boogaloo. I think that they have a tribal style to them which looks fantastic. There is so much inspiration and possibilities given by this book that I think it would make a great gift for children of all ages.

There are few words to the story but it is a good book to introduce children to sounds and dance. I could see my children's primary school using this story to encourage children to make up their own dance moves using the animals for inspiration and playing the instruments to make up their own beat.

Thank you to the publisher, Ben Cameron at Anova Books, for sending me this book to review.