| Chicka Chicka Boom Boom | |
| Author: | Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault |
| Illustrator: | Lois Ehlert |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Series: | Chicka Chicka Books |
| Genre: | Children's picture book |
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Pub Date: | September 14, 1989 |
| Pages: | 36 |
| Isbn: | 1-55924-577-8 |
| Oclc: | 19262991 |
| Followed By: | Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 |
Chicka 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]
An anthropomorphic lowercase alphabet climb up a coconut tree in order, but their increasing weight makes the tree lean over, causing themselves to fall out of it. Shortly after, the uppercase letters (depicted as their parental figures) rush to aid the lowercase letters and rescue them from the pile.
While putting the tree back to its upright position and leaving the place, again in alphabetical order, many of the letters are revealed to have suffered from certain injuries, including "d" with a skinned knee, "e" with a stubbed toe, "f" wearing a bandage, "g" being out of breath, "h" and "i" tangled together, "j" and "k" crying in pain, "l" being knotted, "m" being looped, "n" being stooped, "o" being twisted, "p" having a black eye, and "t" having a loose tooth.
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.
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 teaching 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, one of which was 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.
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 her friends. 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, was published on October 1, 2024.[5] Two more books entitled Chicka Chicka I Love Mom and Chicka Chicka I Love Dad will be published on March 11, 2025.[6] [7]
| Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Other Coconutty Songs | |
| Type: | Studio album |
| Artist: | John Archambault and David Plummer |
| Cover: | Chicka-chicka.jpg |
| Alt: | Cover showing coconut tree |
| 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.[8] [9] Its main track was the title song Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, which was the book's title.