Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault {1989}

Yesterday we dealt with the depressing idea of snow, so I'm attempting to redeem myself today with a slightly warmer, tropical theme. Coconut trees anyone?

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom has got to be the most fun book about letters. The rhythmic beat of the language, the colorful cut-out work by Lois Ehlert, and the letters taking a life form of their own all contribute to its brightness.

Plot. All the lower case letters of the alphabet decide to climb up a coconut tree. Will there be enough room? Toes are stubbed, eyes blackened, and knees skinned when they all come crashing down.

Educational Opportunities. This is probably pretty obvious, but I would definitely use this book to introduce your child to letters ;). If they already have a handle on their alphabet, use it for further letter recognition practice and beginning phonics skills.

Activities.

• Make a beach-themed sensory bin with sand and toy letters. 
• Making Learning Fun has a boatload of free printables- color by shape, trace and color, complete the drawing, door knob hanger, etc. 
• That's What Che Said has a full-color printable that you can laminate and attach to a cookie sheet, for letter playing fun. 
• This is a great idea for teaching your child their name, and how many letters are in it!
• Have a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom scavenger hunt.
• Let your child hunt through faux Easter grass for letters. 
• Make a super cool coconut tree snack with a stalk of celery, peanut butter, and letter cereal.
• I love Living Worlds Apart's Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tot bag to keep her toddler occupied while homeschooling her older kids. Recreate your own!

Other Resources. There are several song versions of the book which little kids will love dancing and singing along to: one and two. You can listen to a kid reading it here.

Be sure to also check out... Chicka Chicka ABC and Chicka Chicka 1,2,3 {with which you could adapt all of the activities mentioned above for numbers instead!}.

Looking for more great books to read with your preschooler? Check out the rest of this 31 Days series here!

Some of the links above are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small profit at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through both local and church libraries ;). Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!