Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs by Alan Katz, David Catrow (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Songwriter and comedy writer extraordinaire Alan Katz has turned those and other old favorites on their ears and created new nonsense songs kids will love. With zany, spirited pictures by illustrator and cartoonist David Catrow, this kooky collection guarantees laughs and plenty of silly dillyness for kids everywhere!

Publishers 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) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

These new and wacky versions of old and familiar songs will provide hours of musical fun at home and in the classroom. Comedy writer Alan Katz gives us "Stinky Stinky Diaper Change" to sing to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "Ripped My Favorite T-Shirt" to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot," and many more. There are enough food fights, mud, and messy rooms to sing about to guarantee universal kid appeal. Even more fun are the riotous pictures. Catrow's double paged watercolor and crayon spreads exude energy and absurdity galore. From the first sudsy boy in roller skates flying out of the bathtub to the last pea-green, misshapen, carsick toddler, readers will find themselves giggling with glee. Sheet music of the actual tunes would have been helpful to those of us who can't remember complete melodies to songs like "Oh, Susanna" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Readers will also need to work at fitting the words to the tunes, especially the first time through. While some renditions work better than others, all are well worth the effort. 2001, Margaret K. McElderry, $17.00. Ages 3 up. Reviewer: Betty Hicks

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 Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Product Details

• ISBN: 0689829035
  
• ISBN-13: 9780689829031
• Format: Hardcover, 32pp
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Pub. Date: May 2001
• Edition Description: 1 ED
• Sales Rank: 20,858
• Age Range: 3 to 6