Well, what can I say about this book that hasn’t already been said? This series is an absolute treasure trove of fun and, like so many little ones I meet in work, I can’t get enough of it! While this is technically a review of Oi Cat (thank you Hachette for my review copy), it will inevitably be a review of the series as a whole!
‘Oi Cat’ follows hotly on the heels of ‘Oi Frog’ and ‘Oi Dog!’. For anyone unfamiliar with this series (I’m trying not to judge, but where have you been?! Get them all. Immediately!) a brief recap of the story so far…
In ‘Oi Frog’ we meet a discontented Frog, fed up of having to sit on a log, and a bossy cat who explains to him he has to because, after all “frogs sit on logs”, and then goes on to recount all the other rhyming places animals must sit (gophers on sofas and puffins on muffins being two of my favourites!). That is, until Frog makes the mistake of asking where dogs sit…
Cue ‘Oi Dog’ which picks up where ‘Oi Frog’ left off, namely with one very squashed and disgruntled frog who has had enough and is changing the rules! This time, it’s Frog’s turn to decide where everyone should sit, with leopards on shepherds and elephants on smelly pants being this book’s highlights for me, although I could have probably picked all of them (I didn’t think it possible but Oi Dog somehow managed to raise the rhyming bar a notch or two!) Cats, Frog decides must sit on gnats!
Which leads us nicely to ‘Oi Cat’, in which Cat is getting very itchy bottom from being made to sit on gnats. This will of course go down an absolute storm with young readers – who doesn’t love some bottom jokes?! Even just reading the word bottom out loud is hilarious (you know you’re smiling…). And so the search begins to find Cat a more comfortable seat, bringing with it all the usual rhyming fun and games.
A rollicking riot of rhyming fun, this is a sharp and witty series that’s perfect for reading aloud (and adding your own rhymes to!), with fantastically well-defined characters and hilarious twists at the end of each book. Jim Field’s bright, bold and expressive illustrations complement the text perfectly and might be some of my favourite picture books illustrations around – I can’t imagine one without the other.
An absolute must have for any picture book collection.
There’s also the brilliant Oi Goat, which was a special World Book Day book this year – we read it at storytime and it went down a treat! Check out our goats…!
And I am beside myself with excitement waiting for….
I flipping love platypuses!
(this guy’s already featured in one blog post, but any excuse for some platy-action!)
Bellis Does Books 