Lots of fabulous books are being published today (such as this one and another one I really like;this one) but Oi Frog! by Kes Gray, illustrated by Jim Field is the one that has jumped up and down and begged to be shared with you right now, without delay. It’s got cheek, energy and zany rhymes, and it’s the first book I’ve read this year which I think is a serious contender for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.
We all know, from the very first books we ever read, that the Cat sits on the mat and the Frog sits on the log. This is part of the overarching World Order that must be in place to stop society descending into chaos.
Oi Frog! is narrated by a rather supercilious Cat, one of the World Order’s Heavies. He knows everyone’s place, and the place for everyone. Mules sit on stools. Parrots sit on carrots. And foxes sit on boxes. That’s just the way it is. End of.
But Frog… well he is brave enough to question authority: He does not want to sit on a log.
And this INFURIATES Cat.
Will Frog survive Cat’s laying down of the law? Well… (sucking my teeth and shaking my head), I would tell you, but I know my place (Zoes sit on Joeys) and I’m not risking Cat’s wrath descending on me. No way.
Jim Field (a past winner of the Roald Dahl Funny prize – so he has form…) has created a cast of enormously characterful animals with some of the most expressive eyeballs and eyebrows in town. Vibrantly coloured pages exude zing and vitality. The anarchy captured in his illustrations (what sort of crazy world is it where puffins sit on muffins or snakes sit on cakes?) contrasts wickedly with Cat’s determination to keep things utterly orderly.
Gray’s text is bold and brassy. Kids will love predicting what’s coming next, and both teachers and learner readers will enjoy the chance to play and delight in language much more than they can by only following the rules of phonics.
A devilishly delightful cautionary tale told with aplomb, illustrated with exuberance, I really do adore Oi Frog!.
And as is always a good sign, within seconds of finishing our first shared reading of Oi Frog! we were raiding our craft supplies inspired. One paper bag, a few pipecleaners, and two pingpong balls later we had our own adorable, if anxious frog:
Look! Look! Do you see what Frog is sitting on?!
While making our frog stand in silly poses, and whilst pretending to be frogs ourselves we hopped around to:
And a couple of songs from dear old Kermit…
Apart from making your own frog toy you could also try these activities alongside reading Oi Frog!:
Who are your favourite fictional frogs? One of my very earliest reading memories is of dear old Flippy the Frog.
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of Oi Frog! from the publishers.
linda sarah
Zoe, you and your amazing fellow artists are incredible – what a gorgeous, brilliant frog – I love this review and want to read this anarchic, wonderful book right now (and make my own frog of course :-). As always, I come away from your blog grinning hugely and utterly inspired!
linda sarah recently posted..violin coming from somewhere up there
Zoe
Ah Linda. YES! That’s what I want – to spread some smiles and get people eager to pick up a book. Hurrah! Thank you 😀
Zoe recently posted..Oi, Frog! This book’s fantastic!
Library Mice
Such a great book, and what a fantastic frog too.
Library Mice recently posted..Meet the Parents
Donna McKinnon
Oi! LOVE IT! And I love your garden frog (and the green grass which I won’t see for another couple of months.)One of my all-time favourite illustrations of a frog is from The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka and Steve Johnson. The frog is so bored, he’s licking the wallpaper. You know, you can’t go wrong with frogs in picture books…most of the time. Oi Frog must come home with me!
Donna McKinnon recently posted..Henny
Catherine
I love the sound of Oi Frog! and I really want to know how it ends after reading your review 🙂
Catherine recently posted..There’s a Shark in the Bath by Sarah McIntyre
WendyLady@GoodBooks
This book looks like it would be lots of fun, and your paper bag froggie is adorable! My 15-month old grandson loves frogs (thanks to Mercer Mayer’s wordless classic: “Frog, Where Are You?”). We’ll have to add “Oi Frog” to our library – I hope it’ll come out in the U.S.
Gayathri Bashi
This book looks absolutely fabulous; thanks for sharing 🙂 Cannot wait to get my hands on this!
Gayathri Bashi recently posted..Destination ‘Crabtree’: it’s all about the journey (and a few other things)
Rhythm
I LOVE all of the above! I’m am rolling on the floor with laughter! Thanks for sharing this. Can’t wait to find the book!
Rhythm recently posted..February is Library Lovers’ Month
Zoe
Thank you everyone for the comments. This is such a fun book.
Thanks Donna for your tip, and Catherine… well you’ll just have to find a copy of the book 😉 If I reveal the end the Joeys will sit on me.
Wendy, thanks for the Mayer tip. I do wonder if Oi Frog will travel stateside – I guess it might have to be slightly “translated” – have just been having a conversation on twitter with US friends about “Oi”. Perhaps it would become “Yo Frog!” 😉
Zoe recently posted..Oi, Frog! This book’s fantastic!
Weekly Round-Up of Kid Lit Reviews and Posts: Week #4 | Mother Daughter Book Reviews
[…] Oi Frog! by Kes Gray ~ Playing by the Book (see also Read it Daddy!) […]
emma white
this sounds such a good book for me to read with children think they would enjoy it x
The Book Tree
Wow, you take book reviews to a whole other level! I love how you get your kids involved – will keep an eye out for your reviews as I compile my own.
Jim Field’s 3 word wisdom | AP Potting JR
[…] for the 3 Word Wisdom Project. ‘There’s a Lion in my Cornflakes’ and ‘Oi Frog‘ are truly awesome books. It is great to have you as a […]