There's a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake

July 23, 2018
In this illustrated adaptation of the popular song by the same title, Long (Love) adds excitement to the well-known lyrics with delightfully detailed, bold illustrations. Building itself with repeating, ever-growing lines, the tune-cum-tale introduces readers to a frog who lives in a log on the bottom of a lake, as well as to a fly on the frog, a gnat on the fly, and a fish that happens upon them all. Long adds a second narrative to the repeating lyrics: a turtle and snail appear throughout, observing the scene on each page as the turtle comments on the song’s lyrics and the duo’s situation. While peering into the hole in the log, the turtle loses his balance, calling out a plea to the snail: “Dial 911! Turtle on its back! Emergency! Turtle freaking out!” In Long’s recognizable style, shades of green give depth and texture to the underwater scene. One to visit again and again, this updated version of an old favorite is appended with sheet music and a breakdown of the song by verse (“For some reason, I have the urge to take guitar lessons,” says the turtle, tucked in beneath the lyrics). Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

August 15, 2018
A familiar cumulative folk song gets a mild tweak.This time, the setting is a lake floor. "There's a hole in the log on the bottom of the lake"; "There's a frog in the hole in the log on the bottom of the lake"; and so on. It's better sung than recited, and musical notation can be found at the end. On the frog is a hair (one corkscrew curl growing upward), and then a fly on the hair, and then a gnat on the fly. The underwater atmosphere is dark green, with brown, beige, and lighter greens. Long's acrylic-and-colored-pencil illustrations are an odd mix of styles: The frog is cartoony, especially when grinning and licking its lips in anticipation of a fly-gnat feast, whereas members of a school of goldfish are delicate and luminescent. The climax is a sudden "uh-oh. Chomp, snap, gulp!"--with an intriguing partial ambiguity about exactly who gets chomped. Throughout, a tiny snail and turtle provide wry counterpoint to the verse's formal structure. The turtle offers commentary, sometimes amusing (when the song uses the lyric "hole," he asks, "A whole what? It just looks empty to me"), sometimes confusing (he punnily grumps that someone must be "too cool for school" when, at that moment, the accused snail is joining a school of fish), and slapstick humor ("Dial 911! Turtle on its back! Emergency! Turtle freaking out!").A serviceable contribution to cumulative-song collections or surprise-ending collections. (musical notation, song lyrics) (Picture book. 3-7)

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October 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-In the oft-sung, cumulative classic children's song, Long portrays the main character as an innocent-eyed, but sometimes goofy frog surrounded by his watery habitat. The illustrations are a great strength of this book. The charming artwork adds comedy to the song and creates a demand for repeated readings. Dark green hues dominate the illustrations created in acrylic and colored pencil. The art fills each page and will show well in a storytime presentation with larger groups. Unique to this rendition is the addition of a tiny snail and a small turtle who contribute their own comic relief. They provide side comments about the major action in the story-"There's a log? There's a log!" (as the turtle sarcastically retorts, "It's just a piece of rotten wood."). Music is appended. VERDICT Refresh musical and storytime collections with this old favorite that has been updated with delightful images.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

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