The Hokey Pokey - Hardcover

Hamanaka, Sheila

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689805195 ISBN 13: 9780689805196

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 1997

Synopsis

Enhanced by bold, vibrant illustrations, this learning tool for young readers teaches the different parts of the body and the left from the right with the help of a fun-filled, sing-song text.

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2. Hamanaka's festive, lively illustrations and a text laid out in an assortment of colors and type sizes reflect the inherent fun of this favorite song. Colorful blocks border each page, beginning with the front endpapers, where they frame musical notes on a yellow background. As the song progresses and the pace becomes more frenetic, the blocks start to fall off the border, eventually collapsing into a colorful heap of squares and musical notes. The illustrations, painted in bright acrylics, show a group of enthusiastic, multicultural children acting out the words. With each verse, the body part in question, such as foot or hand or hip, is in the foreground of the picture, jumping out from the side of the page. The music is included. Unfortunately, the book lacks a story and that limits its appeal and the number of ways it can be used with children. Simply presenting the lyrics does not produce as successful a picture book as those that feature songs with more of an inherent plot, such as Aliki's Hush Little Baby (S & S, 1972), Raffi's Baby Beluga (Crown, 1990), or Tom Paxton's Going to the Zoo (Morrow, 1996). Despite its shortcomings, libraries with a high demand for musical materials will find a place for this attractive entry.?Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

While the Sun Valley Trio, the tune's originators, may no longer be household words, the Hokey Pokey has become a sort of goofy party classic that, since it was introduced in the 1950s, young and old can step to. Verse by verse, Hamanaka (Bebop-A-Do- Walk, 1995, etc.) frames the song in vigorous acrylics of kids and animals moving to the beat, in scenes that bleed right off the page and show evermore participants as the song progresses. The book throbs with the mayhem of the multitudes putting their left hips in, taking their left hips out, putting their left hips in--and that's before the command to ``put your whole self in.'' Along with a page of scoring, the book also provides a history of the Hokey Pokey. Most children will want to dance, not read, but they will come away with a firm grasp of right and left. (Picture book. 2-6) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0689805195
• ISBN 13: 9780689805196
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hamanaka Sheila