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Oral Language

Show your toddler the cover of the book and ask what she sees. Tell her the baby is “boogie”-ing and that “boogie” is a way to dance. Ask your child if she likes to dance and encourage her to do a little dance.

Phonological Awareness

As you read this book to your child, she will hear the different parts of the words and how they sound. Emphasize words that rhyme (e.g., chicks & kicks, toucan & cancan) and words that start with the same beginning sound (hip-hop hippo, cha-cha chihuahua).

Oral Language

Talk about the different dances in the book and show your child how she can do the dances too: “kicking” like the chicks and “shaking” like the rattlesnake. Encouraging your child to be active and telling her how much fun it is to “boogie” during the story will keep her engaged and enthusiastic.

Point out and talk about different parts of the illustrations in the book. For example, the book is filled with funny costumes worn by the dancing animals — ask your child questions about the animals and point out different parts of the silly costumes, like the line-dancing ants wearing hats and boots, such as:

“Have you ever seen an ant wear a hat? That’s really silly!”
“Do whales wear bowties?”

This story is full of silly puns that may be fun to explain to older siblings when reading this book as a family. You can explain why it is funny that:

• The “jelly” fish will “jam” — because jelly and jam are foods that are similar in appearance and taste.
• A mole can “dig it” — because moles are animals that dig in the ground but dig it can also mean to enjoy dancing a certain way.
• A jump, jivin’ whale sounds like the name of a popular song about dancing called “Jump, Jive and Wail.” 

Oral Language

Relate the story back to real-life experiences. When you play music during the day, invite your child to “boogie” with you!

Browse more recommended children’s books for toddlers 18 to 23 months, or find an easy at-home activity.