Dance Party Countdown (Groovy Joe #2)

Groovy Joe #2

by Eric Litwin, Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)

Knock! Knock! Groovy Joe, the fun-lovin', guitar-strummin' easy goin' doggy is back and ready for a dance party with you . . . and a whole new math-lovin' doggy crew ! Groovy Joe is totally fun.He's a tail-wagging, song singing party of one!And he rocks like Disco party bow wow! #1 New York Times bestsellers Eric Litwin ( Pete the I Love My White Shoes ) and Tom Lichtenheld ( Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site ) are back in another groovy story that will have little ones singing, dancing, and learning math to a whole new beat. In his second book, Groovy Joe has a dance party. But Oh no ! More and more doggies are knocking on his door, asking to come in. Will there be enough room for everyone? Joe knows just what to do and, soon enough, he everyone moving and grooving -- the party has only just begun! Signature rhyme, repetition, and musical writing style, combined with wild and witty illustrations infused and gentle math concepts come together to create an unforgettable new Groovy Joe story all about positivity, creativity, math, and kindness. Groovy Joe is back, ready to get groovy !

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Music, Mathematics, Dogs, Counting, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2017

About the author

Eric Litwin (Mr. Eric) is a guitar strumming, book writing, harmonica blowing, song singing, folksy, fun type of guy. He is the # 1 New York Times Best Selling author of the first four Pete the Cat picture books and the author of the new musical series The Nuts. Eric's books have sold over 1.5 million copies, been translated into seven languages and won 15 state and national awards including a Theodor Geisel Seuss Honor Award. He has also recorded award winning music CDs. Eric is a popular performing artist who plays guitar, sings, tells musical stories and brings books to life. He is also a nationally respected keynote speaker on interactive literacy and music. Eric is the co-creator of The Learning Groove which offers parent and child music classes and preschool music curriculum. Eric likes music, books and coffee.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Groovy Joe is totally fun. He's a song-singing, tail-wagging party of one! And he rocks like this. Disco party bow wow! Disco party bow wow! Knock! Knock! Who's there? One! One who? One more dog is going to disco with you! How many dogs are there now?

Premise/plot: Groovy Joe is ready to DISCO. Though this starts out as a me-party, a party of one, it soon turns into a big dance party! Groovy Joe is always happy to open his door and welcome more into his home.

My thoughts: Eric Litwin's original Pete the Cat books made me giddy. Those original books are: Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, Pete the Cat: Rocking In My School Shoes, Pete the Cat Saves Christmas. I love them all. I especially love singing Four Groovy Buttons and I Love My White Shoes. There's something magical about the stories and songs--and how seamlessly the two work together. I fell in love with the character and his GOODNESS NO! philosophy of living life. That "Goodness No!" philosophy is back with Groovy Joe. And I think a lot of the things I absolutely loved about his earlier work is present in this story.

This one features math--addition. (Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons was all about subtraction.) It follows a definite pattern. "Does Joe get upset? Goodness no! He keeps rocking!" And it features a moral--as many of the Pete the Cat stories did. The moral of this one is: "There's always room for one more!"

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

[Andy Plemmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for the familiar (or pretty much the same text) as other Litwin books, then this book doesn't disappoint. My young reader loved it, which is a very important part. Personally, I wish we could have the fun participatory song aspect without the same text as a Pete book. The first Groovy Joe did this.

[mg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Issue #1: When counting from 1 to 10, it's not a countdown.
Issue #2: The song, sadly, is just not catchy. It's not the kind that can be sung, a cappella by a librarian and her story time crew. I am not walking away from the book with it stuck in my head.
Issue #3: C'mon, it's the Pete the Cat as a dog. Pete was great (When Eric Litwin was co-collaborator). But we all need to recognize that his glory days are over and just let Pete go...James Dean included.

[Trevor · Rating 1 out of 5]

C'mon, man. This is just a not-nearly-as-good re-hash of Pete The Cat.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute illustrations, especially all the many musical instruments. Fun verses, but (and maybe this is very minor) this book is not a countdown it includes very basic math skills. 1+1, 2+2 etc You need to already know numbers for it to make sense.

[Theodore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good sequel for a book I loved when I was little!

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read these childrens' books. Makes a real change for the mysyery/murder and mayhem that I usually read.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose youngsters will enjoy this picture book featuring a dog--Groovy Joe--who is happy when he is joined by other canines while jamming. The story starts out with Joe strumming his guitar, and one by one, other musicians join him in his apartment. Things get crowded and loud, but lots of great music comes out of the collaboration. The colorful illustrations feature various instruments and musicians, but I don't know. Somehow this one just didn't work for me. Although there's a disco ball, many of the instruments aren't ones that would be used for disco and words such as "groovy" and "boogie" seem a bit dated for this sort of thing. Most of all, I just don't find Joe as appealing in this outing as I did in his first picture book or the Pete the Cat series. Since I am clearly not the intended audience for this book, it is certainly possible that reading or hearing the book will encourage youngsters to dance, dance, dance, especially since they can download the song and the story.

[SheReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed for YA Books Central

Fun for kids and the adults reading to them alike.

Groovy Joe is a smashing success with kids who want it to be read to them over and over again. My three-year-old niece counts as one of these. Joe has graduated from ice cream and dinosaurs and now looks to party with his own kind. Not just any party - he's having a disco party. Through repetition and simple math, these words become ones kids will shout out as they turn the pages. The writing style couldn't be any more engaging and every few pages there's a repetitive song as Joe dances. This series has quickly become my favorite to read to my niece and this second book is even better than the first.

An incredibly well done story that provides plenty of laughs with a little learning to go along with it.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Groovy Joe has his guitar and his tambourine - he's ready for a dance party! He and his squirrel friend are rocking out when there's a knock on the door. Who could it be? A dog with a tuba to join the party! One more dog means less room for Joe, but he doesn't get upset because he is having way too much fun. More and more animals join the party, with guests doubling each time until there are eight dogs in the room, plus Joe. Now the party is only missing one thing - YOU! This is a fun, fast-paced story that encourages readers to do some mental math and reminds them that there is always room for one more. Joe's song can be downloaded from Scholastic so classes and families can get their groove on while reading.

[Mandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Groovy Joe book! Boogie down with math. Would be a fun addition to a storytime, though I don't know that I'd recommend it for bedtime. Disco boogie doesn't sound like a good way to wind down for sleeping. :)

[Bridget Neace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Pete the Cat, but I loved this Groovy Joe. (Makes me want to read the first one!)

My son picked this as one of his purchases at my Book Fair. I knew the rhythm of the song thanks to repeated viewings of the Book Fair preview video. My entire family rocked out to this book--a totally fun family bonding session during our nightly storytime. Both my 7-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter liked the knock-knocks and the addition. I foresee this book enjoying many encore performances with my kids.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Litwin is back with a musical story for dog lovers. Move over Pete the Cat - Groovy Joe is here! This story includes a simple-to-sing-along-with chorus and lots of great illustrations. But wait...it is also a concept book as Joe goes from a solo act to an entire band. There is counting and math in this book - and an extended dance party at the end! Crowd pleaser - especially for readers who love Pete the Cat.

[Patrycja · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun picture book for kids. Illustrations are colorful and nice.
Kids will be singing and dancing and counting with Joe. There is even a song to download to make this experience even more fun.
Very interactive, and enjoyable book.
And the message it brings? "There is always room for one more!".

On sale: 08/12th 2017.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute, but pretty much exactly the same as the original Groovy Joe book (and Pete the Cat, as others have said). The math aspect was a little fun, but otherwise it's just sort of repetitive. When I tried the first Groovy Joe in storytime, the kids didn't really get into it - so I'll probably skip this one.

[Bmack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a second book in this series from the original creator of "Pete the Cat". This new character likes to sing too! There is also some very basic math involved in this book and you get to disco with Joe! On the jacket of the book it tells you how to download the mp3 of the story with the music. It is lots of fun!

[Colleen Dougherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown is a fun book that teaches children about counting as well as spreading the idea that the more truly is the merrier! The book contains fun illustrations and children can download the song to make it even more fun!

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, if a tad familiar. I could see a math teacher using it in an early elementary lesson. Quibble over the use of the word countdown in the title when Joe is adding/ squaring. Peppy illustrations.

[Lyrical Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Litwin has a new winning character to help develop early literacy. His rhythm and rhymes are captivating, and as always, he has a message of love and tolerance. Kids will love to jump up and groove along!

[Kelly Veatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my kindergartners today, and they absolutely LOVED it. It's a great book to keep them engaged in the story.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this style of illustration, and I can appreciate the introduction to counting/addition as well as the positive attitude/message to include everyone.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOOO derivative of Pete the Cat but ... *sigh*

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete the Cat in a dog costume.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Litwin has his formula, this time with a groovy dog instead of a cat. Cute sing along for the young reader crowd.

[Jennifer Miera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, but with a dog. Nothing surprising here, but kids will probably like it anyway.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book with groovy joe with counting, singing and fun.

Nice illustrations.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't go wrong with the musical styling of Eric Litwin.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Litwin seems to be self-plagiarizing on this one. Very, very similar to Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons.

[Faith Tydings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Groovy Joe for story times. He's fun, repetitive, interactive and so groovy!!

[Michelle Farella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Music, dogs, and math. What a great combination!