25 November 2010 JINGLE-JINGLE by Nicola Smee, Boxer Books/Sterling Publishing, Board book edition, October 2010, 26p., ISBN: 978-1-906250-65-2

"Jingle-jingle,

swoosh-swoosh!

Faster, faster,

goes the sleigh.

Jingle-jingle

swoosh-swoosh!

Faster, faster

goes the sleigh!

Look out!

Look out!

Action!  Adventure!  Great sounds!  Animals being weird and funny!

What more could a little kid want?

I love JINGLE-JINGLE!  It is one of those books that makes me wish I was back doing circle times again. 

This is Nicola Smee's second book featuring Cat and Dog and Pig and Duck and Mr. Horse.  In the first book, CLIP-CLOP!, the four animals get up on Mr. Horse and insist that he go faster and faster.  And then, when Mr. Horse stops short, the quartet go flying off into a haystack.  Of course, they want to do it all again.

This time, in JINGLE-JINGLE, Mr. Horse is pulling a sleigh.  And this time Mr. Horse gets to participate by hopping up INTO the sleigh once they reach the top of the hill.  And when they crash, Mr. Horse gets to go flying off into the snow along with everyone else.

"'Oh dear!  Oh dear!

Oh dearie me!'  

cry Cat

and Dog

and Pig

and Duck.

(As they peer into the snow at the visible bits of Mr. Horse)

'That was SO COOL!'

says happy 

Mr. Horse."

(As he pulls his head out of the snow.)

You can be sure that they are headed right back up to the top of that hill to have another go at it, and you can bet your bottom dollar that young children are going to totally crack up every time you read and re-read this one to them. 

(I know because I've already read it aloud to myself a half-dozen times, making myself crack up every single time.)

Richie Partington, MLIS
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