Tickle Time!

by Sandra Boynton

A giggle in book a little  Tickle Time! can take a child from grumpy, or frustrated, or looking for a little extra attention to bright and sunny and giggling again!

If you’re feeling blue
and you don’t know what to do
there is nothing like a
TICKLE TIME
to make you feel like new.

Based on the wildly popular song from Boynton’s wildly popular Rhinoceros Tap CD, Tickle Time! is pure irrepressible Boynton, lively in tempo, nimble in rhyme, and filled with irresistible fuzzy cats that cavort from page to page. Plus a few birds, who aren’t the cavorting type. Here’s a book to turn to again and again, because it’s guaranteed to elicit giggles.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Storytime, Humor, Juvenile

22 pages, Board book

First published March 13, 2012

About the author

Sandra Keith Boynton is an American humorist, songwriter, director, music producer, children's author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated over eighty-five books for children and seven general audience books, as well as over four thousand greeting cards, and seven music albums. She has also designed calendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys for various companies.

Reviews

[joey (thoughts and afterthoughts) · Rating 3 out of 5]

friend got this book for her kid.
read this during our lunch hangs.
forgot the name of the book -5 seconds after finishing.
gitchy gitchy goo sounds like a cult.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barely kept my kids interested. They looked up every time I said "Tickle time!" because this is a favorite past time in our house. Which is why I thought they'd like it, but they really didn't seem to care about this one. I love Boynton because of the illustrations, but even I thought this story was a bit primitive. We won't give up on Boynton though, she has too many redeeming books to not keep reading her.

[Daisy Luscre]

Reading with Grammie!

[★ℕłℂØℓҾ★ (Nix) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome rhythmic children's book! My kids were enthralled while I read it. And my youngest couldn't get enough of the picture frame cut out of the cover.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the dialogue in this board book. I hope Baby Girl will have fun with this one!

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like being tickled…for now.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s got a nice rhythm to it, but this one just hasn’t grabbed my kids’ attention like some of her other books have.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: this is not my review but the review of my daughter who can't have her own goodreads but does love herself a book! Therefore I will be writing them for her. She is currently 6 months old.

While this one started out great, somehow it just couldn't hold baby's interest and she became very angry. Mom suspects she doesn't like tickles. Or possibly the absence of dinosaurs.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2* art
3* story/rhyme

Squirt loves the tickles. Laughs and laughs. And the page with the stop sign gives him a lot to talk about (don't have a clue what he's saying).

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this from the Oxford Public Library. We are now just systematically borrowing all Sandra Boynton books in a quest to read them all.

At first, he didn't want any part of this book. Grumpy boy. Then, he wanted to "read" it himself. Finding the stop sign was a game changer — he pointed it out to me and was so pleased with himself when I was shocked that he knew what a stop sign is. It's crazy how much kids absorb without you actually trying to teach them.

Finally, Jack let me read the book to him. I did little tickles and he giggled that sweet, contagious giggle he has and, of course, made us stop to admire the stop sign halfway through!

[Barbara Mahoney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I love a number of Sandra Boynton's books, this one is not my favorite to read. It is about tickle time - a time to tickle and laugh. I know I sound like a grump for not loving it but it is just so repetitious. However, the 2 year old I read to enjoys it so I do read it to her sometimes.

I like Pajama Time & I LOVE Hey Wake Up by this author.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids (age 1 and 3) really like this book because they never know when I’m going to tickle them as we’re reading it. We sometimes quote it during playtime, too, when my son is upset. It’s simple and probably not my favorite of Boynton’s books—because I love SO many of them, but still a fun read in our home.

[Melissa Swistek · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was honestly a bit of a miss from Boynton. I could not get what the rhythm and meter were supposed to be and it makes tickle time feel a bit forced. After all, tickling is usually a bit more of a spontaneous act.

If you want a good book from this author I would leave this one alone and go with Moo, Baa, LaLaLa instead.

[Joanne G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby Girl's books are placed on low shelves so she can pick the books she wants read to her. When she is wanting a book that generally ends in giggles and shrieks, she chooses this one to read. "Tickle" was one of her first words.

[Lacy | literary_lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids and I had the best time reading this book. We laughed so much. Even my infant thought this was hilarious.

Both the kiddos got some tickle time, and we all really enjoyed ourselves. We love these interactive books.

Sandra Boynton has become a favorite of ours!

[Lil Old Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Sandra Boynton. Her stories are funny, the drawings are charming and adorable, and I always know when I pick up one of her books, both my kids and I are going to enjoy it. Getting to tickle them as we read along makes it even more fun.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my very favorite Boynton books, with only Birthday Monsters beating it. I read it to my 5 month old baby and she legit started laughing hysterically at the "gitchy-gitchy"s. It makes me smile.

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a winner. Tickling is a delicate consent line here. And the rhyme scheme was weird.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this works better as a song then boardbook. Maybe would work better with toddlers.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

my toddler loves this one!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my son's favorites because we tickle him when we read it. Baby giggles are the best!!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a must read, just maybe not a bedtime hehe

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun. Just a book about tickling. The only thing is when the author purposely stops the rhymes. It throws the reading off and annoys me. However, read in story time it works perfectly.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's be crazy and dance around yelling gitchy-gitchy-goo! (Oh, not you! Just the kids.)

[Chloë · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh it’s fine, and the toddler enjoys it; I just don’t think it’s the best of the Boyntons.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

For: cat/tickle fans; readers looking for a funny book with interactive elements.

Possible red flags: readers who don't like tickling will have trouble connecting.

[Alyssa Haverfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tickle book that is silly but also a little pointless.

[Lael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little read. Baby loved the cadence of this one.

[Brianna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a favorite for both my girls, ages 3 and 1. It’s interactive and fun to read for all of us, mom included!

[Shannon Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of our favourites. We probably read this 6-7 times a day... with actions of course! My 3 year old thinks it's so much fun.