Children's Book Review: I Ate a Cicada by Jeff Crossan


Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this product, free of charge, from Booksparks , for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it



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In the South we have a LOT of Cicadas, 
so Miss Grace was captivated this book from the cover!

I Ate a Cicada tour banner

Synopsis:

When a flying cicada struck award-winning songwriter Jeff Crossan on the mouth on his way into a restaurant, he joked to his two kids that he almost ate a cicada. Little did he know then that more than 10 years later he would release a full collection of rhymes and illustrations because of the near-insect-consuming incident in his first book for children called I Ate a Cicada Today

I Ate a Cicada Today features Crossan’s own ink and watercolor illustrations – putting his experience as a cartoonist to work – alongside his fun animal rhymes like “I leapfrogged a warthog today/The doctor thinks I’ll be okay.” On the CD accompanying the book, Crossan plays acoustic guitar and sings the 16-verse song.

Crossan came up with several of the rhymes while eating with his kids at the restaurant the night the “dive-bombing cicada” hit him in the mouth. He scribbled them on a napkin, adding more verses soon after, but wasn’t sure what to do with such a comical and offbeat song. It wasn’t until years later that Crossan had the idea to turn the song into a children’s book using his drawing skills to produce the colorful and delightful illustrations.

The 32-page hardcover book with accompanying CD will have young readers laughing and singing along with each two-page spread featuring a verse about a different animal or insect and Crossan’s short spoken asides adding a comic punch to the zany lyrics.


I Ate a Cicada sample


Review:

Miss Grace adored reading this book by herself and singing along with Jeff on the 2nd go around! She loves learning new facts about animals and insects, so she instantly picked up on those in the book, but loved the rhymes as well. She even started making up some of her own to go along to Jeff's song! The pictures are simple and very cute, and sure to grab your child's attention! It is a fun book and one that can help encourage your kids to get some extra reading in this back to school season!  We highly recommend it!


About the Author: 

Jeff Crossan is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated songwriter. His hit songs include the No. 1 country tune “You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation,” which earned a BMI Million Air Award. Before becoming a full time songwriter, Crossan spent time as a newspaper reporter/photographer, music journalist and syndicated radio writer. For several years his cartoons appeared in the Presbyterian Voice. He earned a degree in journalism at the University of Richmond.

Crossan lives in Franklin, Tenn. with his wife, Linda.They have a daughter and a son who have helped them assemble a fine assortment of mammals, reptiles, fish and insects.

Comments

  1. That seems like a title that is sure to get a childs attention. Cicadas are just about the ugliest thing you will ever see buzzing around near you.

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