Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

The lowercase letters of the alphabet want to reach the top of a coconut tree. A tells B and B tells C that they will all meet up there, and the letters start to climb in alphabetical order, one after another.

The tree cannot hold the whole alphabet. It bends under the weight, and the letters fall to the ground in a bruised, bumped-up pile.

Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault wrote this rhyming alphabet picture book, with illustrations by Lois Ehlert. Simon & Schuster first published it in 1989. It is written for the youngest listeners, and the story is built around letter names.

The uppercase letters, who are the parents of the fallen ones, arrive to help them back onto their feet. Then the letter a heads up the tree once more and dares the others to catch him.

The rhythm bounces and the sounds repeat, which makes the text easy to read aloud and chant along with. Preschoolers use it to learn letter names and to recognise each letter. The open question on the last page is whether the climb will start again.