'Frank has a big day ahead of him - a trip to the dentist, a trumpet exam, a swimming trial, and then the event he's been looking forward to for months, his knitting hero live on stage here in his hometown! Frank can't wait, but he also can't stop hiccuping. HIC! HIC! HIC! They start before breakfast and they will not GO AWAY! Helped by his new friend Daisy, Frank tries ever more hare-brained ideas to get rid of the HICS! Will they ruin his day, or can Frank overcome the hiccuping horrors?'
On the surface, The Day The Hiccups Took Over is a silly story about a young boy whose day is being ever more disrupted by the worst case of hiccups that he's ever had, and this leads to silliness and fun. However, Jo Simmons has managed to sneak in some pretty awesome messages about being true to yourself, and to follow your passions and not be ashamed of the things that bring you joy.
Frank is a boy with a secret. He loves knitting. Whether it's making scarves, hats, or thick woolly jumpers, he loves nothing more than getting out his needles and making things. The only problem is that he thinks that people will judge him for his hobby, even his parents. So, Frank keeps his passion a secret from everyone, even going so far as claiming he found his lovely hand knitted scarf at the park instead of telling people that he made it.
This means that he's also been planning and saving in secret so that he can attend the World Knitting Games, and today is the day. It's also the day that he has several other things he needs to do first such as visit the dentist, but once he's through that he'll be off to the event where he can watch his hero knitting live on stage. Frank is all ready to start his day when he starts to hiccup, the strongest, loudest hiccups he's ever had.
Frank tries everything he can think of to get rid of them, but nothing helps. When he literally runs into the new girl from school, Daisy, she tries to help him out, and the two of them try even weirder and weirder tricks to get rid of the hiccups. And after a while it looks like they might be gone, but when they come back Frank has to try and force his way through the day hiccuping the whole way.
The Day The Hiccups Took Over is a book with a lot of silly humour to it, and Frank's hiccups lead to more than a few fun scenarios that younger readers will have a lot of fun with. Both the ways in which Frank and Daisy try to cure him, and the things that happen as he tries to go about his day have a number of moments that will make you chuckle. But the real hart of the book is Franks love of knitting. The book ultimately has the message that you need to embrace who you are and the things that you love, and to not worry about who might judge you for that because there will always be people who end up supporting and encouraging you. The latter part of the book, where Frank essentially 'comes out' as a knitter is actually quite sweet, and has some wonderfully affirming messages that I think younger readers will take to heart.
The book also has a number of illustrations by Lee Cosgrove, who also provides the cover art for the book. Cosgrove's art has a really nice feel to it, and it's less realist, more cartoon-like style lends itself great to the events of the book. Moments such as Frank spitting juice all over the wall whilst hiccuping, or Frank biting his Dentist by mistake are all fun to read, but when accompanied by Cosgrove's art these moments become even more delightful.
There's a lot of fun to be found in The Day The Hiccups Took Over, and it was enjoyable to read. Younger readers will have a blast with how humerus the story is, whilst also learning a pretty solid lesson too.
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