Nikki Slade Robinson, The Roadman Boogie, Starfish Bay Children’s Books, June 2016, 40pp., $25.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781760360146
Roadman is cold and bored and soggy, so to the delight of carloads of people, he decides to liven up his day by dancing to the music which wafts out of the cars that pass by. He boogies to rockabilly, jazz, country, Latin, disco and more.
The author was inspired by a real road worker dancing as he directed the traffic. The alliterative rhyme has rhythm and is fun to read aloud. Lots of discussion could take place around the musical terms. It would be fun to have examples of each type of music to play as you read, and YouTube clips of the dances. Also a great read for a well-being discussion around resilience and positivity.
The creative illustrations perfectly suit the story. I love the blend of techniques, particularly the crumpled paper background.
For young readers and lovers of music and dance.
Reviewed by Sharon Seymour