Good Vibrations

By Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Paul Hoppe (Illustrator)

A girl and her dog spread positive energy on a beach adventure.

4.0/7 Bookroo expert·3.4/5 Goodreads · 30 ratings

32 pages

$16.95Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Join a girl and her dog as they journey to the beach, sharing uplifting vibes with everyone they meet. Inspired by the iconic Beach Boys hit, this vibrant picture book captures the essence of joy and connection. As they wander, the duo encounters various characters, each touched by their infectious positivity. Will their good vibrations transform the day for everyone they meet? Dive into this colorful tale and experience the magic of spreading happiness, one step at a time.

From the publisher

Mike Love and Brian Wilson’s world-famous song, gloriously illustrated by Paul Hoppe, will bring smiles to the faces of children and parents alike.

I’m pickin’ up good vibrations

She’s giving me the excitations (oom bop bop)

I’m pickin’ up good vibrations (good vibrations, oom bop bop)

She’s giving me the excitations (excitations, oom bop bop)

Good Vibrations is a lively picture book based on Mike Love and Brian Wilson’s number one hit about absorbing positive energy from the people around them. Often praised as one of the most important compositions in rock, the Beach Boys’ original version of this song was their third number one Billboard hit. With lyrics by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, and illustrations by Paul Hoppe, this picture book follows a girl and her dog as they make their way down to the beach, sharing good vibrations all along the way. Parents and children alike can share and enjoy one of rock’s greatest hits through the colorful pages of Good Vibrations.

Released in 1966, this is one of the defining and iconic songs of the era

The recording involved the then-revolutionary process of tape-splicing, cutting up and editing pieces of the master tape together

The musicians used in the recording of the song included members of the Wrecking Crew, the legendary set of Los Angeles session studio players

Beach Boys publicist Derek Taylor described the song as a “pocket symphony” (Derek was the former press officer for the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and worked with the Byrds and the Mamas &amp;amp; the Papas, among others)

The unusual sound featured in the song’s chorus was produced by an electrotheremin

The song was a transatlantic number one, reaching the top spot in both the USA and the UK

The song was the last US number one the Beach Boys achieved in the 1960s

Inducted into both the Grammy and Rock &amp;amp; Roll Halls of Fame

Rolling Stone ranked the song at number six on its 2010 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time

In 2001, the RIAA and the National Endowment for the Arts published their Songs of the Century list, with “Good Vibrations” at number 24

The song is part of the Rock &amp;amp; Roll Hall of Fame’s permanent exhibition,500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Reading age: 4–8
Audience: Picture

Themes & topics

Books about dogs Books about kindness Books about the beach Books about music Books about performing arts

The Bookroo review

What our editors thought of Good Vibrations

In this illustrated picture book version of the beloved Beach Boys’ Billboard number one song, “Good Vibrations,” a dog grooves out about the good vibrations of its owner. “I love the colorful clothes she wears / And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair” sings the dog from its doghouse while a beach-going surfer girl dons a turquoise sun hat. The girl is depicted in various scenes spreading good vibrations, like serving an old woman and using her surfboard to help birds cross a chasm. When it comes to lyrics, there are actually only three short verses that don’t translate to story very clearly. Other than that, many pages are filled with things like “bop,” “oom,” and “na.” Readers who know the song by heart will likely enjoy singing this book aloud, and Hoppe’s decision to tell the story from a dog’s point of view is an interesting, unexpected approach. But with all the “ooms” and “na na nas,” those less familiar will lose track of where in the song they are and will ultimately tire of the pages of “bops,” despite the creative illustrations depicting all kinds of fun, random things: green aliens, pig headed men, and singing cacti.

The verdict

“Despite creative illustrations, only those who know the song by heart will truly appreciate this picture book version.”

Bookroo Editorial

Reviewed February 2020

4.0/7

What readers & critics say