I Say Boo, You say Hoo

This is no ordinary book. This is a book where the audience become the stars of the show and are encouraged to dive into every hilarious and interactive page.

I Say Boo, You Say Hoo is the second such book from the author John Kane after his hit I Say Ooh You Say Aah. As a reader of picture books to a young son and a class of young children, I always enjoy a text in which laughter has to be allowed to settle before turning the next page and this book certainly doesn't disappoint on that front. After flicking through the text myself, I wasted no time in test driving the interactive elements with my four year old. He was instantly hooked the minute he was asked, by the book, to help. 10 minutes later, much of which was spent in fits of laughter, he insisted we repeat the book again. This was repeated a further three times in the first sitting alone.

I think this is where the beauty lies in this text. Although knowing what was coming after the first read, he still wanted to be involved in the 'call and response' element of the text. This was replicated when I read the book with my class of year 1 children. I think this text gets better with a second or third read with an audience as they become more familiar with what is asked of them...whether it be saying "hoo" in response to "boo" or shouting "stinky poo" for merely seeing the colour blue. (I should have maybe apologised in advanced to the parents though as they were soon shouting this upon seeing anything blue. But that is a testament to how enjoyable the book was to them.)

The illustrations are minimal within the book but they play such an important part and are created superbly by John. The book is eye catching, bright and vibrant which, when combined with the hilarious content, makes for a hit of a book with younger children.

A must for any EYFS and KS1 library.

Picture book / Ages 4+ / Reviewed by Kyle Matravers, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+