Uh-Oh! by Rachel Isadora

From the Publisher

For any toddler who's caused a bit of trouble by mistake, this book has a surprise with each page turn. Revealing a day in the life of a rambunctious child in bold, bright pastels, Rachel Isadora uses just one word to set the scene. Whether it's breakfast that ends up all over everything—Uh-oh!—or ice cream that falls to the ground, or the wrong person falling asleep at bedtime, each spread is guaranteed to inspire giggles.

School Library Journal

PreS- A spirited African-American toddler makes his way through a busy day, fraught with messes and mischief. On each page, there is a peaceful, everyday tableau with a one- or two-word description-"Diaper," "Kitty cat," "Ice cream," etc. When the page is turned, the opposite side reveals the word, "uh-oh," and the illustration reflects the result of some mishap. The child has taken all the wipes out of the box, the cat has run up a tree, and the ice-cream cone has fallen to the ground. The final "uh-oh" comes when Grandpa reads the boy a bedtime story and ends up falling asleep himself. The very simple language, along with the repetition of the universal toddler distress signal, "uh-oh," will entice its target audience. However, one illustration is difficult to decipher as it's unclear whether the problem is that the child has thrown the toys out of the bathtub, or climbed out alone. Still, this is a fairly appealing addition to the "toddler-on-the-move" genre.-Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD

Kirkus Reviews

A young child's day is filled with that infamous phrase, "Uh-oh!" Right-hand pages show the child (gender neutral) going about daily routines and feature a noun, such as "diaper," "breakfast," "crayons" or "bedtime." A turn of the page reveals the "uh-oh" situation: In the sandbox, the sand goes flying, the clean clothes don't quite make it on to the correct body parts and the shared ice-cream cone ends up on the ground. The "uh-oh's" are a nice mix of accident, inexperience and mischievousness. Isadora's pastel illustrations are a delight, depicting an adorably dimpled African-American child with a wide range of expressions. Indeed, even when the child is being naughty, the sheer joy on his/her face makes it hard for even the sternest readers to keep from smiling, too. While perhaps not for the impressionable or those easily led astray, this could be a springboard to conversations about behavior, and the illustrations are not to be missed-nor is Isadora's Peekaboo Bedtime, also due out this month. (Picture book. 2-5)

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