Title: The Rough Gruff Goat Brothers Rap
Author/Illustrator: Bernice Chardiet, Jon Chardiet, and Jean-Claude Suares
Reviewed by: Naomi
This is probably bizarre just because it's dated (1993) but my cousin sent it to my two year old daughter and it has rapidly become one of her favorites, largely due to her daddy's charming interpretation.
Beatboxing! Apparently there was once an audiocassette to accompany the text, I am sure it's very Fresh Prince-arrific. Anyway, it's the Three Billy Goats Gruff story told in rap rhymes. It starts off with three backwards-cap wearing kitty cats going:
Here we go! Here we go! Kick it!(my daughter's new favorite catchphrase, which apparently only amuses people of a certain age- her grandma didn't get it at all and it totally lost its charm when I had to explain it) and it doesn't let up.
The third billy goat looks an awful lot like a steroid-driven Ice T with ram's horns poking through his fedora and he trash talks the troll before beating him up:
I'm going to get you, troll, with my two spears.Nice!
I'm gonna poke your eyeballs out of your ears.
My horns are long and strong as stone.
I'm gonna crush you to bits, body and bone.
I am so buying this!
[I know, right? I just got a copy with the cassette from abebooks. I'll rip it to mp3 as soon as it gets here. -ed]
When I got the goat book in the mail, I totally thought of the awesome "Horse Named Paul Revere" board book from sweet juniper. (BTW, may I suggest "Cars That Go Boom" for a future monthly suggestion?) They make a fine bedtime combo, let me tell you.