Ook the Book: And Other Silly Rhymes
Ook the Bookseems like it's been around forever, dog-eared from  decades of readings and rereadings. It could be the jaunty Seussian rhythms at  play, but it has a classic quirkiness all its own--a blend of Calef Brown'sPolkabats and Octopus  Slacksand the good Dr. Seuss'sThe Cat in the Hat. With poem  titles from "Ug the Bug" to "Eep the Sheep," you can see that the rhyme is not  exactly subtle. Therein lies its charm. Take "Ow the Cow":I am Ow,Ow the cow.I can bark.Bow wow wow.Don't ask my why,don't ask me how.I am just that kindof cow.While its simple rhymes make it perfect for building early reading skills,  Shannon McNeill's action-packed illustrations (awash in a delicious color  palette) give readers of all ages plenty to snicker over. In "Ake the Snake,"  for example, the snake has a cake, because he can bake. The snake, coiled by the  lake (sporting a cupcake chef's hat) is surrounded by baking ingredients and two  tiny green traumatized bugs, who have indeed tried to take the snake cake, and  therefore are being flung screaming into the lake, much to the dismay of another  bug hiding behind a sack of what might be flour. We think it's gutsy to write a  poem as simple as "I am At, / At the cat. / Do you see Pat? / He is my rat. / I  sat on Pat, / so he is flat." And we like it. (Pat the flat rat doesn't look too  happy about it, however.) A wonderful primer for wee ones just starting to have  fun with words. (Ages 2 to 5)--Karin Snelson