Oh, No! (review)

This story really begins on the book's endpapers, as a tiger creeps up on an unsuspecting frog and begins to chase him. The songlike text begins as the frog, now fleeing for his life, falls into a hole: "Frog fell into a deep, deep hole./ Ribbit-oops! Ribbit-oops!/ Frog fell into a deep, deep hole. Ribbit-oops!/ Frog fell into such a deep hole,/ he couldn't get out to save his soul./ Croaked Frog, "Help! Help! I can't get out! Oh, no!" This cadence continues as a mouse, loris, sun bear, and monkey each end up tumbling into the hole themselves, and each phrase ends with the animal crying, "Oh, no!" Just as Tiger looms over the critters, ready to pounce, "the ground bumble-rumbled and began to shake./ BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM!" It's Elephant to the rescue, and while his trunk scoops everyone out, his thunderous footsteps shake Tiger right into the hole, where he too, asks for help getting out. "Oh, no!" say the other animals in triumph, and walk away, leaving only Tiger's paws visible as they cling to the lip of the hole. Fleming's rhythmical stanzas are generally smooth and lively, and the patterned text and repeated phrases will make this very useful to those who work with the preschool and primary-grade crowd. Rohmann's relief-print illustrations are simple but stunning; muted tones of jungle greens, browns, and blues prevail, making the orange of the tiger's coat pop vividly from the background, and the blocky outlines and detailing of the printing process give an appealing hand-crafted feel to the art. Pair this with LaRochelle's It's a Tiger! (BCCB 9/12) for a tiger-themed storytime or incorporate it into a classroom jungle unit.