DescriptionReviewsReadPlus.com.au (Age: 3-5) New Zealand author-illustrator Nikki Slade Robinson brings a true story to life in The Roadman Boogie. The Roadman controls the traffic with his large stop sign as the digger fills the truck at the side of the highway. He is sneezing, shivering, cold and soggy as he stops the cars and trucks during a heavy downpour. When a crowded car stops, his feet begin to twitch in time with the rockabilly music blaring from the radio. Each time a car stops for the Roadman, he can’t help dancing in time to the music. There is a country ballad, a bouncing boogie-woogie, a Latin rumba, even a saucy salsa; he’s certainly got the moves. He twirls and turns, controlling the traffic, so caught up in the moves he doesn’t notice the water rising. With the cones out across the road, all the cars and trucks stop in time for the Roadman’s Boogie Ball. The rhythm of Robinson’s rhyming text and the fun alliteration make this a great story to share with an audience of preschoolers. Listen to some different types of music mentioned and have the children move to the beat. The grey textured backgrounds sweep across page after page, evoking the rainy conditions.About the Kiwi authorNikki Slade Robinson is an award-winning author and illustrator of over sixty children’s books and readers, many for Duck Creek Press including the Muddle & Mo series and The Little Kiwi series. Find out more on her profile page.
