I have to say I really enjoyed this book. Hip and Hop are a rappers who live in Oldskool County . Hip is a turtle who raps slow and Hop is a rabbit who - as you might guess - raps fast. Their new friend Yaul, a pessimistic porcupine, says NO to everything. Hip and Hop hope to change Yaul's attitude by throwing him "the best surprise birthday party Oldskool County had ever seen". Adults will enjoy the various cultural references (e.g. Moo-Tang Clan and Kanye Pest). Different colored text prompts the reader to rap slow or fast depending on whether Hip or Hop is doing the rapping. Some might find that difficult, but it has the potential to be a lot of fun for reader and listener alike. Most of us know someone just like the unhappy character in this picture book. Prickly Yaul the porcupine just says, "No!" to everything that Hip and Hop suggest. But finally, he realizes that he actually likes dancing to the beats they create with their rapping. One of the elements that I really liked in this story about learning to have a positive attitude and be willing to try new things is how the author provides directions about how to read the story--with Hip the turtle's raps in red and intended to be read slowly and Hop the rabbit's raps in green and intended to be read quickly. The brush and ink illustrations have color added through Photoshop and are filled with plenty of funny action on the part of the main characters.
This book was funny and cool and interactive and a GREAT read aloud!!! So fun!!
—priser
sequels...still, Kanye Pest, Moo-Tang Clan...winners!
—daza1195
Very fun to read- every rap really slowly?
—CJM
8/2/1332 pgsRead again 8/4/13
—gengolamco
