Oi Frog!

Cats sit on mats, mules sit on stools- every animal has a special place!


Written by Kes Gray
Illustrated by Jim Field 
Hodder Children's Books, a division of Hachette Children's Books  2014
ISBN: 978 1 444 91085 8, 10 987 6543
Library Copy

Back of Book:
Cats sit on mats, hares sit on chairs, mules sit on stools and gophers sit on sofas, but Frog does not want to sit on a log!
From the award-winning Kes Gray and the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, Jim Field. A hilarious rhyming tale about a frog who discovers that all animals have their special places to sit!

The story:
Frog meets a cat who says "Oi Frog! Sit on a log!" but Frog points out that: 
"Logs are nobbly and uncomfortable. And they can give you splinters in your bottom." 
He makes a valid point, and we can see some little splinters stuck in his butt while his eyes water but the cat is having none of it. Frog asks if he could sit on a mat instead, but cat curtly tells him, "Only cats sit on mats." As for a chair?- Well, that's where a hare sits. 
And so it goes on, with Frog suggesting various places he could sit and the cat informing him of the other animals who already belong in such places. 
Strong vivid colours, comical animal characters, clever rhyming text and the general wackiness of this book make it a fun read for people of all ages.
A Missus B favourite!

Why I love this book:
The illustrations are a delight! The comical animal characters stand out perfectly against the bold backgrounds and the illustrator has given each one animated facial expressions- from the pained lion as he sits on the pointy end of an iron (lions sit on irons didn't you know?) to the disconcerted seal as he tries to balance himself on a wheel.

I wonder is that iron still hot?!
Missus B's Picture Book Reviews
'Oi Frog!'

Each page is packed full of action-a flock of puffins are squidged onto creamy muffins, a giant ape sits on a mountain of grapes, some tiny fleas rest on peas. These visual delights of comical antics will make you laugh out loud.

'Foxes sit on boxes....'
Missus B's Picture Book Reviews
'Oi Frog'

As usual, Kes Gray comes up trumps with his rhyming text and here is a lovely example:

"What do seals sit on?" asked the frog.
"Don't you know anything?" said the cat.
"Seals sit on wheels,
doves sit on gloves,
newts sit on flutes, lizards sit on wizards and
apes sit on grapes."

Before you know it, little readers will be joining in with the wacky text and memorising the comical rhyming words. What a fun way to develop literacy skills. There are 29 animals/insects named in this book also- a fine collection of living things for you to discuss! 

Weasels on easels, moles on poles- I love that gorilla on the pillar!
Missus B's Picture Book Reviews
'Oi Frog!'

The dialogue between the cat and Frog is comical and their personalities come alive on the pages. The frog is playful and carefree- dreamily stretching on the sofa as he suggests it as a resting place, having a sneaky strawberry from the cake (which is topped by a snake.)  The cat is somewhat aloof and condescending, as only a cat could be, and he grumpily tells Frog "It's not about being comfortable....It's about doing the right thing."  Cat seems almost irritated by Frog's endless questions and he even takes to diagrams to enlighten the uneducated frog.

Frog gets a lesson from the grumpy cat.
Missus B's Picture Book Reviews
'Oi Frog!'

But, he leaves out one important fact. "I was hoping you weren't going to ask that" he responds when Frog wonders "What do dogs sit on?"

Missus B's Picture Book Reviews
'Oi Frog!'

A hilarious ending to 'Oi Frog!'....now, lets just hope that a hog doesn't come to sit on that dog! 

Love, love this book! See my video review here:

Happy reading, 
Missus B 

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