Module 14: Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs

Citation:
Katz, Alan. Take Me Out of the Bathtub. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2001.

Summary:
In this book, Alan Katz takes classic children's songs and writes new lyrics for them.  Including "Take me out of the bathtub," for "Take me out to the ballgame," and "Stinky, Stinky Diaper Change," for "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."  Accompanying the new fun lyrics are amusing illustrations by David Catrow. 

My Impressions:
The new lyrics for the songs are cleverly written, and I believe that they play to a child's sense of humor.  The words used in the lyrics are not advanced, although some extremely young children probably would not understand every word.  However, the illustrations that accompany the text also provides entertainment for the children who can visualize the lyrics of the songs as they are singing them or being sung to by an adult.

Suggestions for the use of this book:
This book is a great book for parents to use in order to have fun with their children, but it can also be used in a storytime setting as many songs used in storytimes are sung to familiar tunes.  The different lyrics would provide entertainment to children if they are accompanied by costumes and actions.

Reviews:
Peterson, Lauren.  Review of Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs, by Alan Katz.  Booklist, July 1, 2001.
Katz, a comedy writer who has worked on children's programming for Disney and Nickelodeon has created his own "silly dilly" versions of beloved childhood tunes. Kids will rejoice in the hilarious, "I'm Filthy, I'm Dirty," sung to the tune of "It's Raining, It's Pouring," and parents have songs to celebrate, too: "Go Go Go to Bed" is a clever remake of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." With the possible exception of the lesser-known "Polly, Put the Kettle On," most children will be familiar with the original versions of these songs, which will make it easy for them to join right in. Catrow's animated double-spread pictures are at least as silly as the song lyrics, offering action-filled scenes bursting with odd-looking creatures. For an easy enrichment activity, have kids create a silly-dilly adaptation of their own.

Review of Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs, by Alan Katz. Publisher's Weekly, April 16, 2001.
Songwriter and television comedy writer Katz provides ludicrous lyrics to 14 traditional tunes, offering playful parodies on some familiar routines. To the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," a boy wearing roller skates claims he has been soaking so long in the tub that he "used one, two, three bars of soap/ Take me out... I'm clean!" Other amusing entries include "I've Been Cleaning Up My Bedroom" (sung to "I've Been Working on the Railroad"), in which a girl tidies her room by shoving all of her belongings "out the door," which Catrow (She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head!) interprets quite literally (he shows her bureau, goldfish, etc., piling up in the back yard), and "Give Me a Break" (sung to the tune of "Home on the Range"), introducing a child whose library book is long overdue. A few songs do not scan so well (e.g., this verse set to the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean": "My brother flicks peas with his fork and/ They zip down my shirt with a splat/ Next I see a big piece of pork land/ On my head like it's a new hat!"). But the subjects (a sibling with a stinky diaper, a youngster who refuses to go to bed, a cranky poodle think "Yankee Doodle") teamed with Catrow's outlandish illustrations, as hyperbolic as the words, will have kids giggling as they sing.