Giggly Times Giggly Rhymes

(Age: 5-8) This is a self-publication by Richie and Rhonda Cotton and is the second in a series of fun rhymes for young children. The handwritten rhymes and simple, colourful illustrations add to the homemade charm of these amusing rhymes. While there is nothing particularly spectacular about the collection Cotton uses simple rhythms and words to create amusing poetry. They are simple enough that children would find it an achievable goal to write poetry of a similar kind themselves. For this reason they may be useful to use as a model for children learning to write rhymes of their own.
These poems are certainly best for reading aloud and the way the illustrations correlate directly to the text may assist comprehension for those learning to follow poems and their structure as a form of storytelling. The book consists of 21 poems with different themes, most short and many nonsensical or quirky.
Overall a pleasing collection of poems and illustrations that could assist teachers working on poetry and rhyme writing with young children or as a silly and enjoyable read aloud.
(Posted on 9/05/12)

The two delightful Giggly Rhymes books are evidence that creativity originates from many sources and through many daily life experiences. The first book was born through a father’s need to entertain his young child. He created rhymes, some nonsensical, all simple rhymes in varied lengths, about everyday situations and all kinds of animals. The second book is an extension of the first.


Giggly Times Giggly Rhymes incorporates pirates, rabbits, maths on a blackboard, garden fairies, jelly beans, and a whole range of exciting and naughty situations and animals. The natural world is alive throughout the book which entertains and educates.


In Giggly Times Giggly Rhymes No 2, the layout of the pages and the rhymes adhere to the style of the previous book with a change in subjects and characters. Also, this hard cover comes with a jacket identical to the cover of the book.


There are frogs and falling donuts, cactuses to cuddle and a truckie duckie amongst other cheeky, happy, characters. The rhymes again have a strong entertainment quality. They are funny, silly, and very appropriate for young children.


It is the illustrations that make these books special. They are outstanding, have the minute detail that children look for in their world of books, and the characters are portrayed in an expressive and colourful way. For an illustrator without any formal training, Rhonda Cotton has translated the text perfectly. The front and back covers are fully illustrated with all the characters that appear inside. The title pages are identical, showing Billy blowing blue bubbles all over the red title. Both back end pages have the naughty rabbits from the rhyme, Naughty Rabbits, driving away in a green ute leaving ‘see you next time’ behind them!
(Posted on 9/05/12)

I have bought both books and they are fantastic. The illustrations are spectacular and the rhymes are very cleverly written. These 2 books are very appropriate for young children. Its great to find an Australian book with rhymes that my grandchildren cant put down. Cant wait for the third edition (Posted on 28/03/12)