What they said ...

A frenetic, scattered energy drives MacLennan's poem, which begins by celebrating holiday reds, whites and greens, before moving on to drum up excitement for decorating, present-wrapping and a Christmas pageant. "Christmas stories and Christmas songs! Costumes! Scenes! And lights! A roll of the drum, and onto the stage ... they come!" Characters include white mice in pink tutus, kittens, reindeer and a multicultural crew of children. Her smudgy figures prance across solid backdrops, the bright palette dialling up the energy and sense of anticipation. It's a lot of buil-up, but the festivities of the final pages don't disappoint.

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY

This wonderfully festive read-along picture book features vivid illustrations and a heart-warming winter tale. Perfect for family gatherings around an open fire, this charming children's book will make the countdown to Christmas even more magical.

JOHN LEWIS

What they said ...

Discover all the delights of Spring in this joyful new book from Kate Greenaway Award nominated author/illustrator Cathy MacLennan, a companion to the highly acclaimed Chicky Chicky Chook Chook. A wonderful, read-aloud tale, full of fun-to-imitate sounds, rythym and movement, that gently introduces the idea of the changing seasons.

LOVEREADING4KIDS.COM

What they said ...

"Explore what spooky goings-on there are in the dead of night. Wacky and wonderful, it’s a fabulous read-aloud tale to share again and again particularly if it’s Halloween! You’ll meet velvety bats and howling cats and not forgetting the bug-eyed flies and the rotten rats. Spooooooky!"

lovereading4kids.com

"Silly, creepy, crawly, but never scary, critters colourfully dance across the page of this Halloween party full of fun."

Strand Bookstore, New York

"Cathy MacLennan's 'Spooky Spooky Spooky' features all sorts of adorable images of spooky creatures from the 'velvety, velvety bats' to the 'horrible howling cats' that are fall fare. Using rhyme and alliteration, it is a simple story that's great fun to read aloud. When a Halloween twist comes in the last few pages, the youngest children giggle with delight. I have found this to be a perfect book to introduce the concept of Halloween dressing up to the little ones in a fun and truly not scary way."

5minutesforbooks.com

What they said ...

"With its rhythm, rhyme and repetition, profuse alliteration not to mention a smattering of onomatopoeia, this lovely book is just the thing to foster a delight in verbal play, while painlessly imparting language lessons aplenty. Painted and printed on what looks like green wrapping paper, Cathy MacLennan's pictures exude joie de vivre as monkey and various other creatures frolic across the pages amid a jungly profusion of flora made up predominately, of spots, dots, dashes and curves."

Books for Keeps

What they said ...

"This is a true celebration of the joys of life and the changeable English weather in the simmer. A phonic frolic of onomatopoeia, word play, rhythym and rhyme and a profusion of alliteration as well, it’s just the thing to foster a delight in language play and in the natural world. Fluffy chicks, fuzzy bees and cuddly kittens cavort across a flower decorated brown paper background. This is a book that simply cries out to be performed: chant it, add your own musical accompaniment, dance it or do all three. There is lots of potential too for exploring Cathy MacLennan’s illustrative style and then letting young children experiment with paints for themselves. All in all, they’ll just love it."

Books for Keeps

"Cathy Maclennan's Chicky Chicky Chook Chook is pure nonsense and lovely to read aloud as its fuzzy chicks, kitten and bees discover rain for the first time."

Amanda Craig on cracking Easter reads for children, The Times Newspaper

"This rambunctious story has an onomatopoeic rhyming text that children will love to hear again and again. Chicky chicks, buzzy bees, and kitty cats romp in the sunny warm shine and snuggle in the sleepy shine until, Pitter, patter. Pit. Pit. Patter. Splitter, splatter. Down comes the rain, which makes them soggy, groggy moggy. Sunny, sunny breeze and shine. Fluff and fur and fuzz. Inspired by the art and culture of her native Zimbabwe, MacLennan dabs, swirls, and sponges bright splashes of paint on brown butcher paper. Lively spreads and the creative placement of text express energy and movement to make this a unique, eye-catching experience. This creative book is as much fun to read aloud as it is to look at."

Martha Simpson, School Library Journal

"A stylized onomatopoeic sound fest marks MacLennan's impressive debut. With bright, feathery dabs and blobs of paint, she introduces a passel of almost palpable fluffy chicks, fuzzy bees and cuddly kittens, all of whom frolic across brown-bag backgrounds to the beat of rhymes like this one: Chicky, chicky, chook chook. / Chick, chick chick. / Chicky, chicky, chook chook, / peck... peck... pick. The eyeballs of the rambunctious characters seem to bounce off their bodies, underscoring their kinetic energy. A sudden cloudburst puts a damper on things: Sticky, icky chicky. / Soggy, groggy moggy. / Wet. Wet. Wet. / Crazy... dizzy... buzzer! / How will we get dry? But the sun soon restores everybody back to their previously adorable states-just in time for a good night's sleep. The text may go on a bit long for some grownups' taste, especially since many of the sound combinations could potentially lodge themselves firmly in the brain. But youngsters will find the zippy, percussive language good fun, and plead for repeat readings." 

Publishers Weekly