BOOK REVIEW: DR BOOGALOO & THE GIRL WHO LOST HER LAUGHTER by LISA NICOL

Shane | 20 October 2017 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: DR BOOGALOO & THE GIRL WHO LOST HER LAUGHTER by LISA NICOL
Random House, Children’s – rrp$19.99
October 2017
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8 ½ /10

There’s only one place that can help little Blue cure her lack of laughter – not her mother, who is only concerned about herself and her vacuous, vain life, won’t let Blue play with other children, and has re-christened her four times depending on which colour scheme is most fashionable from year to year. Not her Dad, who is galivanting around the world on a two-years-and-counting “business” trip that seems to involve a lot of parties that interrupt her longed-for Skype calls with him.

Nope, only Dr Boogaloo’s Family Clinic Of Musical Cures.

This charming book extols the undisputed (by us, at least) virtues of the healing power of music of all sorts, insisting that to remain healthy once must bolster the musical immune system daily, otherwise face the consequences…

In the words of the Doc’s wife, Bessie:

“Music lets your heart fly. You can feel your heart flutter as soon as the music hits you… that’s the wings being attached… then, it’s out in the world, soaring high above the clouds, all the while attached to you with an invisible golden thread that’s stronger than a spider’s web. Sometimes our strings get tangled up with other people’s strings. That’s called falling in love. That’s why you can’t fall in love without music. It’s just not possible!

“Not everyone hears the right music – or knows how to listen. And they suffer terribly… if you don’t let your heart fly, your tune gets right out of whack. It’s a bit like spending your whole life indoors – it’s just not good for your health.”

But Blue is a special case – the first case in 400 years that the Boogaloo Family Clinic cannot cure, no matter how many different instruments and musical combinations Dr Boogaloo and Bessie try.

Music matters to us all, and the sooner we instil that sentiment in our children – preferably with an eclectic taste for diversity – the healthier they will be. On top of that, this is just a lovely, cute story, adorably written and illustrated.