Llama Llama Red Pajama

Literacy is cool.  Boom.

Slogan t-shirts are going to be flying off the shelves.  Twitter's going to be in meltdown.  I'm going to have to take my son to the tattoo removal clinic, "...but mum all the kids are saying literacy is cool..."

I'm just kidding, but this idea of rapping Llama Llama Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdney is crazy cool.  The idea is genius.  Asking famous artists to rap along to the words of the super popular kids book.


I read a few articles about the Llamalution that was released into the world by J Cruz a radio host with Los Angeles Power 106.  In a story that echoes other famous inventions of the past, J Cruz bought the book for his son, thought the words could lend themselves to a rap and it could be an idea for his show.  Llamalution was born.

JCruz talked about the response to USA Today, "We’ve gotten emails from people who have said, ‘Our son didn’t like to read and this encouraged him to read more,’ ” says Cruz. “We even had a classroom tweet us a video of them singing Llama Llama."

Here is that class (with support from Mrs McGraw) from that tweet.  They have read, practised, memorised, filmed, edited and broadcast their version of the rap of the book.  They kill it.

Hey Luda! We finished your Llama Llama Rap! #llamallamarap #jbe @StarCitySchools @Ludacris @Power106LA @TheEllenShow @KATVNews @THV11 pic.twitter.com/RN3r4R0cNN

— Brittney McGraw (@MrsBMcGraw5) May 4, 2017

Who knows about Llama Llama Red Pajama?  The Ludacris video has been viewed 3.8 million times!  So, a whole boatload of people have listened, watched, danced, smiled and laughed along to a children's book.

Being literate is more than being able to read.  Literacy is accessing information.  So it does mean being able to read a book, but also to be able to think critically about that book, being able to write, use technology and use the internet to accomplish goals.

None of these people could rap along without literacy skills.  Rap rests on literacy skills.  Rhythm, rhyme, beat, vocabulary, syllables, intonation and speed.  

None of us would be able to navigate our world without our literacy skills.  Literacy skills are for the JOY in life: travel guides, love poems, text messaging, buying art supplies, searching youtube, writing music, reading and writing recipes - whatever it is that you want to do.  

These kind of ideas are perfect for teen library programs.  The content is crazy cool and the energy is high.  Perfect.

This last version is Llamariffic, but there are some naughty words.  Tune out if you wish.