Daddy Does the Cha Cha Cha by David Bedford and Bridget Strevens-Marzo
| Daddy Does the Cha Cha Cha by David Bedford and Bridget Strevens-Marzo | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Jo Heffer
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| Summary: Serena, Ambrose, Meera and Dougie love parties and they love dancing. The only problem is that their dads love dancing too and tend to take over even when they say 'no dancing dads allowed'. This lovely story tells what happens when the dads get a little too carried away with their dancing... | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: October 2008 |
| Publisher: LIttle Hare Books | |
| ISBN: 978-1921049903 | |
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If you're like me, you may well remember some family occasions from your childhood when your dad decided to take to the dance floor. If your dad's dancing was anything like mine, it was probably excruciatingly embarrassing and you will have wanted to hide in a corner. Well if you still have nightmares about such times then this book is likely to bring those memories flooding back. I couldn't help but think of my dad as I shared Daddy Does the Cha Cha Cha with my three year old (who luckily is too young to be embarrassed by her daddy's dancing – yet!).
In this delightful book we meet Serena (a hippo), Ambrose (a crocodile), Meera (a zebra) and Dougie (an elephant). Every time they get together for a party their dads always insist on dancing and worst of all, Dougie's dad always dances the Cha Cha Cha. These small creatures all decide that they have had enough of this so when Dougie has a party they put up a sign saying 'No Dancing Dads!' This is OK for a while and all the young animals enjoy performing their own dances.
However, it doesn't take long until the dads can resist no longer and before we know it they are all dancing too. This results in mayhem and chaos and Dougie's home starts to look wrecked. This is only the start of the problem though as they suddenly spy through the window all their mums coming home. Young and old alike have to work together to get everything cleaned up and in the process they all start dancing together as they clean. Finally in a touching moment Dougie dances the Cha Cha Cha with his dad.
My three year old daughter really enjoyed this story. It's a book that does not contain too much text and therefore much of the story is told through the wonderfully entertaining illustrations. Every page holds so much detail and each time we've looked at the book my daughter has noticed something different. We particularly like the pages where the dads and their young ones are doing their cleaning as, over a series of pages, they look more and more as if they are dancing. It also goes to show how, as they work together, they enjoy being with each other. This definitely comes through in all the wonderful bright and humourous pictures.
There are not too many words on any page but these are well chosen for effect. There are lovely descriptions of the dads dancing – one dad wibble wobbles, another shimmy shakes and another scritchy scratches. These descriptions have a lovely alliterative sound and my daughter loved repeating these many times. When they are all cleaning up together we hear the 'sploosh-splish', the 'brushy-brush' and the 'sponge-swipe' of their actions. Through these cleverly chosen words it's almost as if you can hear what they are doing.
I loved this book because it really made my daughter giggle. She found the dad's dancing very funny but what really appealed was the conspiracy against the mums that made sure they never got to find out about the mess that was made. She seemed to relate to this so well that it made me wonder whether she and her daddy have ever had their own little secrets that I'm not aware of! I guess I'll never know.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
If this is the type of book that will appeal to your child, they may also enjoy Ping Pong Pig by Caroline Jayne Church which is another story about an animal who causes mayhem.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Daddy Does the Cha Cha Cha by David Bedford and Bridget Strevens-Marzo at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Daddy Does the Cha Cha Cha by David Bedford and Bridget Strevens-Marzo at Amazon.com.
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