Uh-oh!

by Rachel Isadora

For any toddler who's caused a bit of trouble by mistake, this book has a surprise with each page turn. Revealing a day in the life of a rambunctious child in bold, bright pastels, Rachel Isadora uses just one word to set the scene. Whether it's breakfast that ends up all over everything--Uh-oh!--or ice cream that falls to the ground, or the wrong person falling asleep at bedtime, each spread is guaranteed to inspire giggles.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction, Family, Cultural

Hardcover

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

Rachel Isadora is an award-winning children's author and illustrator. She has written children's books on multiple topics including ballet, life in America and Africa, and has illustrated several Brother Grimm tales in an African setting. She is most well-known for her Caldecott Honor Award book "Ben's Trumpet". She was a ballet dancer before she became an illustrator and children's writer.

Reviews

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh-oh! is the second Rachel Isadora book Harriet chose recently at the library. This one she read to me (twice!) in the car on the way home.

The book is about a toddler who is having a day full of "Uh-oh" moments. Each page shows a before and an after. For instance, there's a bowl on the food and then it's on his head. So on and so forth, each one done with adorable, life-like illustrations.

For Harriet who is so desperately trying to prove herself ready for kindergarten but can still remember her first day of preschool as a "Tiny Tot," Uh-oh speaks volumes to her. On her second time through the book she analyzed everything the boy did and what he should and shouldn't have done, speaking in a very serious tone about each picture.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Universal appeal, diverse rep. Darn shame that stuff still needs to be said, but there ya go. Terrific story for rug rats and those who remember those good old days.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isadora's illustrations are charming as always. The pictures of daily events--diaper changing, breakfast, the arrival of a kitty-cat--are appealing and something both little ones and caregivers can relate to!

Good for toddler storytimes as the pictures are big enough that it's clear why each situation warrants an "Uh-oh!"

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rejoice, parents and everyone else who reads to toddlers. Rachel Isadora is back doing toddler books and this one (along with Peekaboo Morning) have all of the charm of her earlier toddler books, plus a bounce and action of their own.

[Amy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby/toddler book about all kinds of "uh-oh"s like painting on the wall and dumping breakfast food on his head.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything can turn into an "Uh Oh!" moment for a toddler! Some truly precious illustrations in this one.

[Rebecca altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, love this book. My son loves the suspense each familiar page brings. The illestrations are vibrant and alive. We got it from the library and we will probably buy it.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very young picture book with cultural characters. Accidents happen, teaches patience and acceptance. Ages 1-3

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright, colorful pictures. My 19 month old enjoyed this.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty cute - would be good for baby storytime with the repetitive "uh oh!".

[Hannah Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coloring with crayons? Uh-oh, I made a mess! Eating ice cream? Uh-oh, I made a mess! Bath time? Uh-oh, I made a mess! Uh-oh, I keep making messes!

This is definitely a good book for making kids giggle. This little boy makes messes doing every little task. I think a lot of little kids can relate to this because they haven't built up their coordination and muscles yet. I really liked that no matter how many messes he made, he was still happy and was ready to have more fun. I also loved that on the last page the "uh-oh" was for the adult and not the little boy. It shows that adults mess up to.

This book would be good to show kids that even when you mess up/ make a mistake, you can still be happy and have fun. You can also that they can learn from their mistakes and it not be a traumatizing experience. It can teach kids that parents mess up too because no body is perfect.

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute young toddler has a ton of “uh-oh” moments, like throwing sand in the air while playing with kids in a sandbox,scribbling in a walk with crayons, spilling his cereal all over his head, etc. Elliot thought it was silly, but didn’t want to read it again after the first time. It had very sparse text, and I think maybe he’s just more into a story with a plot right now, so he wasn’t interested.

Read-aloud recommendation: infant to young toddler

[Brittany Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy-read book about many different Uh-oh's we make as kids.
This was a cute book, for a toddler.
I wouldn't use this in a class, maybe at daycare though. If I were to use it, I would probably want it to resolve itself, but I think it has potential to make little ones act up just to say "Uh-Oh".

[Gwen Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute - fun pictures. Very simple story - smaller book so may not hold the attention of large groups as well.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Current favorite book! One word through out, “uh-oh!” Perfect little book for two year olds!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ages 1 and up. A humorous presentation of all the "uh-oh" moments a toddler can get into, featuring a Black child as the protagonist.

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2 year old loves this book. It’s great to see a black boy in the illustrations.

[Paige M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok for toddler time. Repeating phrase. Most of the story depends on understanding the "uh-oh" in the pictures and I'm not sure the kids will be able to, both because of their age and because of the size of the pictures.

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toddler loves this book. It is the first one he has ever asked for by name. Every night since we checked it out of the library last week I've asked him what he wants to read as his bedtime story and he replies, "Uh-oh!" and pulls it out of the bin. I think he enjoys looking at the pictures of a little boy the same age as him (and I like that it's a dark-skinned child since storybooks are still so dominated by images of white children). Sure, this book makes light of some things like coloring on the walls and throwing all of the toys out of the tub that are "No-nos" rather than "Uh-ohs" at my house, but, honestly, I don't think my son is really overthinking the illustrations that much. He just likes hearing the simple words that he knows (diaper, crayons, breakfast) and the repetition of "Uh-oh." I do make a point of saying, "He's coloring on the walls, we don't ever do that do we?" whenever I get to that page just because he hasn't tried that yet and I don't want him to get any ideas. :-)
Overall, this one has been a big hit.

ETA 2019: Checked this one out of the library for F, who is 10 months old. She definitely liked the repetition of "Uh-oh" and was rubbing her hands all over the pages, which I think means she liked it!

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uh-oh! by Rachel Isadora follows the accidents, mishaps and messes of one toddler.

Isadora's colorful illustrations were done in pastels. My favorite images are cover, verso, breakfast mess, getting dressed, toys, ice cream, and sleepy reader.

Using less than twenty words, Isadora shows lots of typical toddler mischief during a day. While some of the action is cute, or could be a real accident, the drawing on the wall with crayons seems deliberate misbehavior. Throwing sand is unacceptable behavior, especially when playing with others. This could be useful for baby or lapsit storytimes for encouraging participation by repeating the uh-oh phrase. I would hope readers would consider discussing some of this behavior with toddlers. 2.5 stars - mainly for the illustrations.

For ages 1 to 3, toddlers, family, narrative skills, phonological awareness, print awareness, print motivation, African-American, humor, read-aloud, and fans of Rachel Isadora.

[jacky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a story time read today. Not a favorite for me. First of all, all the uh ohs got Natalie upset. Something about that word she has associated with doing something wrong, which technically she was right about in this book. Which is the other reason I didn't like it. It showed the toddler being naughty again and again, but it didn't say no or anything else, just uh oh all cute like. While a couple naughty messes a day are cute, a child who actually did all of this would not be cute anymore. I would not be saying uh oh. In fact, I don't think I would say uh oh to sand throwing or drawing on the wall in the first place. I did like the ending though where the Grandpa falls asleep instead of the baby.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: As an African American toddler keeps getting into mischief throughout the day, the reader is invited to discover what the trouble is with each page-turn and to say "uh-oh."

Great for toddlers. Each page show the toddler doing something like sitting in his/her chair eating food. "Breakfast." Turn the page, and the child has poured the food all over his head. "Uh-oh!" Good for encouraging children to talk, "What is the child doing in this picture or what do you see." Or the adult describes what they see in the book to the young child.

I prefer the other book in the series though - Peekaboo Morning. Same child, but younger. Read that one first and my youngest child just loves it. Holds a special place in my heart I guess.

[Hailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book told of a little boy and what he did throughout the day like eat breakfast and play in his toy box. It was a very simple story about how he can make a mess with everything he does throughout the day.
I did not like this book because it was such a simple book and had no plot line whatsoever. It also had no reason for the messes.
I would not use this book in my class unless I taught little babies in preschool or something because this book has such a low reading level. It would be a good book for someone who has a reading disability because the pictures are good and its an easy book to follow what the author is trying to say through the pictures.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure what to think of this book. It seems to be encouraging things that I discourage with my son. (pulling all of the wipes out of the dispenser box, dumping his cereal bowl on his head, drawing on the walls with crayons, throwing sand) Of course, after each of these things happen, there is a big "UH-OH!", but it seems to me that the book is making a 'funny' out of things that should be corrected. Yes, it might be funny when a child dumps their cereal on their head, but you shouldn't laugh when they do it or they will continue to do it in order to make you laugh again.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grabbed my attention as its cover reminded me of Sophie's recent visit. A child about Sophie's age has a bowl of food on its head and the title words uh-oh! are prominently displayed. Sophie is anything but a neat eater, and is just learning to say "uh-oh!" This is the book for her! Not many words, but lots of bright and colorful pictures showing the perils of being a toddler. "Breakfast. Uh-oh!" "Ice cream. Uh-oh!" The featured child is an African American and very sweetly drawn.

[Tdavis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very simple book with the repetition of the phrase “uh-oh” captures it’s audience with great illustration about the messes and mishaps in daily routines. Young listeners are being introduced to how stories work and this almost wordless books allows the caregiver an opportunity to expand on this story. Messy Fun!

Early Literacy Skills:

Narrative Skills
Phonological Awareness
Print Awareness
Print Motivation

[Liz Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book comes from the award winning author, Rachel Isadora. After living in Africa for a few years, she goes on writing tales and picture books from her experiences there.This book does wonder for word work with pattern phrases to help with Emergent Readers. It is the story of the ups and downs of being a toddler. This little guy has many uh-ohs throughout the day with ice cream, a sandbox, and more. It is a great picture book with fun happenings along the way.

[Andrea Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my 5 year old and she loved following along with the predictable "Uh-oh!" that came after every mess that the baby made. Kids will relate to this book since the baby featured is involved in all of the same situations that they probably find themselves in everyday. Each page has only one or two words and the illustrations add enormous personality to the book. This book would be a huge hit as a toddler read aloud or as a short bedtime book for your little one.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

What baby or toddler doesn't like the work "Uh-oh?" This book was also grabbed by a toddler as soon as I finished reading it. 2/20/13

This was a huge hit with the adults at least, and had on toddler saying "Uh-oh!" too. (Used for an African American characters Lap Time) . 2/24/15

Used again!

[Renate]

This book promotes phonological awareness with the repetition of the word Uh Oh! A toddler goes through all kinds of activities and each ends with an uh-oh situation, including the final uh-oh when his grandfather falls asleep reading him a book. It would be fun to ask kids to predict what the next uh-oh is going to be.