Picture Books in Verse and Poetry ~ Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs

Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Take-Me-Out-of-the-Bathtub-and-Other-Silly-Dilly-Songs/Alan-Katz/e/9780689829031/?itm=1, accessed May 6, 2009.

Bibliography

Katz, Alan. 2001. TAKE ME OUT OF THE BATHTUB. Ill. by David Catrow. New York: Simon & Schuster Publishing. ISBN 0689829035

Summary

In this book of "silly dilly songs for silly dilly kids" Alan Katz takes us through some of the funny situations children encounter on a day-to-day basis. The fourteen poems are all written to familiar children's tunes, making them easy for children of all ages to recognize. The children will hoot with laughter as you sing "Stinky, Stinky Diaper Change," to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and will love "I'm Filthy, I'm Dirty," sung to the tune of "It's Raining, It's Pouring." David Catrow's humorous illustrations set the tone for the book even before it has been opened. The cover, which shows a little boy flying out of the bathtub naked with in-line skates on his feet, will have the children laughing out loud before the first page has been read. Done in watercolor, each picture is a perfect depiction of the text on the page. This book is sure to be a hit with children of all ages.

Reviews

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY: "Songwriter and television comedy writer Katz provides ludicrous lyrics to 14 traditional tunes, offering playful parodies on some familiar routines. To the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," a boy wearing roller skates claims he has been soaking so long in the tub that he "used one, two, three bars of soap/ Take me out... I'm clean!" Other amusing entries include "I've Been Cleaning Up My Bedroom" (sung to "I've Been Working on the Railroad"), in which a girl tidies her room by shoving all of her belongings "out the door," which Catrow (She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head!) interprets quite literally (he shows her bureau, goldfish, etc., piling up in the back yard), and "Give Me a Break" (sung to the tune of "Home on the Range"), introducing a child whose library book is long overdue. A few songs do not scan so well (e.g., this verse set to the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean": "My brother flicks peas with his fork and/ They zip down my shirt with a splat/ Next I see a big piece of pork land/ On my head like it's a new hat!"). But the subjects (a sibling with a stinky diaper, a youngster who refuses to go to bed, a cranky poodle think "Yankee Doodle") teamed with Catrow's outlandish illustrations, as hyperbolic as the words, will have kids giggling as they sing." Ages 2-6. (May)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Gr 3-5-This hilarious collection goes straight to the heart of playground humor. What made "On Top of Spaghetti" such an integral part of popular culture is what makes these selections so equally successful. Well-known songs like "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," and "I've Been Working on the Railroad" become-with a wink, a poke, and nod-"Take Me Out of the Bathtub," "The Yogurt Flies Straight from My Brother," and "I've Been Cleaning Up My Bedroom." Some of these transformations are so clever that kids will want to burst into song immediately. Imagine your next patron singing, "Oh give me a break/`Cause I made a mistake/And my library book's overdue" to the tune of "Home on the Range." The watercolor illustrations are equally entertaining, with exaggerated features and situations giving them a cartoon look. "Go Go Go to Bed" depicts an exhausted mom slumped in a chair with toys and a child literally bouncing off the ceiling above her. There's something here to tickle most funny bones."-Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY