Oonga+Boonga

**Oonga Boonga** **Author:** Frieda Wishinsky **Illustrator:** Carol Thompson **Age Range: ** 2 - 6 years **Hardcover: ** 32 pages  **Publisher: ** Dutton Juvenile (April 26, 1999)  **Language: ** English  **ISBN-13: ** 978-0525460954 **__Summary:__** In this story, nobody in baby Louise's family can get her to stop crying. Each family member tries something different. Her mom tries to sing her a lullaby, her dad rocks her in his arms, her grandmother gives her a warm bottle, and her grandfather does a dance (jig). Once her big brother Daniel comes home from school, he is able to get her to stop crying by saying the words, "Oonga Boonga!" Instead of just stopping her crying, baby Louise is filled with laughter and grins. Daniel then goes outside to play and Louise starts to cry again. When her family says the silly words, she continues to cry.Daniel then comes back in and says new words, " Bunka Wunka" and she laughs and grins once again.


 * __Analysis of Literary Elements:__ Illustrations-** Since this story is comical, the illustrations really enhance this. My favorite part of this story is when grandpa "does a jig" for baby Louise. The illustration of this makes the scene even funnier than just the words do. The pictures and comical writing style of the author work well together to show the bond between brother and sister and how much a family can care for each other, but be silly and dysfunctional at the same time. These illustrations will grab the child's attention and focus them in on the effort that this family is putting into making the baby happy.


 * __Review of Book:__** I think this book is great for children, espcially in pre-school to grade one classes. It has a subtle message about family in a very comical and relatable way to children. The illustrations are also well developed so that children will visibly understand what is going on in the story. I also loved the silly words and how it a realistic way for Daniel to handle a young baby, since they cannot talk and usually say silly words themselves!

__**Author Bio:**__ Frieda Wishinsky grew up in New York City as an only child. She used to be a teacher and went to college and received a BA in International Relations with high honors in History and mastered in Special Education. She taught disabled students and created some school libraries. While teaching, she wrote a lot and sent some of her work to publishers. Her work blew up and expanded from there.

__**Related Links:**__ http://friedawishinsky.com