Oh, Look!

by Patricia Polacco

The famous Polacco goats are back! In this playful interactive chant, three mischievous little goats find their way out of the gate (squeak, squeak, squeak!), over a bridge (click, click, click!) through some mud (squish, squish, squish!), onto a carousel (um pah pah pah, um pah pah!)...and right into the path of an angry ogre! Of course, they are happy to turn right around and run straight back over the path they traveled, until at last they are back home gain, safe and sound.

Patricia Polacco's color palette is bright and springlike in her second goat adventure for very young readers.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Adventure, Animals, Storytime, Fiction, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2004

About the author

Patricia Polacco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator with around seventy beloved and award-winning books to her credit, including The Keeping Quilt, Pink and Say, The Blessing Cup, Chicken Sunday, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She resides in Michigan.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Polacco’s goat stories; here, three of them take off and have a little adventure. This is one of her few titles for very young children, and what’s funny is that it’s also her scariest book. However, it’s not very scary at all. Mostly, it’s amusing and sweet. The illustrations are colorful and there’s a lot of repetition, but not so much that I found it irritating. There’s not that much to the story, but I think it will hold the interest of most little kids, and it would be fun for adults to read aloud to them.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three goats go on the lam in this picture-book adventure for younger children, escaping from their field when the gate is left unlocked, and hoofing it - with a "click, click, click" - across the bridge. Soon the caprine runaways have made their way up a hill (with a "puff, puff, puff"), across a pond (with a "swish, swish, swish"), through some mud (with a "squish, squish, squish"), and into the very heart of a fair (where the flags go "flap, flap, slap"). Will their pursuers ever catch up to them, and convince them to return home...?

An entertaining romp from the prolific Patricia Polacco, Oh, Look! is one of just a handful of her picture-books intended for younger children, rather than more advanced readers. The repetitive structure, and wealth of sound words in the text, make for an appealing read-aloud selection, while the energetic and entertaining illustrations - one can really see the author's affection for her subjects - add to the book's appeal. Well worth a look, either for Polacco fans, or for younger children looking for fun bedtime books.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've been slowly working our way through Patricia Polacco's vast collection of stories. We recently read G is for Goat, somewhat to our girls' dismay as it is an alphabet book (and I think they liked it, even if they won't admit it.)

So when I saw this book, I figured we might as well continue with the goat theme. The illustrations are very similar to the previous book and the animals are very cute.

This book is a goat-themed version of the classic children's song/story, We're Going on a Bear Hunt. I'm not sure that the carnival themed stops fit very well with the journey, but it was an interesting take on the original.

Our girls noticed that on the return trip back, Ms. Polacco failed to reverse the order of the mud and water traversings, but otherwise, it was an entertaining tale and we enjoyed reading it together.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three goats go through the fence and out exploring while the family goes after them to bring them home. The illustrations are humorous and filled with beautiful patterns in signature Polacco fashion. My favorite scene was the squishing in the mud. The text follows a rhyme and pattern similar to We're Going on a Bear Hunt but Polacco's goats make the story her own.

Fun book for a read aloud with younger kiddos.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, Cute Cute. My 80 year old mother and I loved the illustrations. The goats and women had so much emotion in the illustrations. The story was not as involved as Patricia usually includes, but the pictures made up for it.

[Sarah Balmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern Fantasy
Grades: P-2
There are various books that go though various places and trials in order to get places or complete a task and then at the end of the book takes you right back to where you started going though each task again in reverse. This specific version begins from a humorous perspective that I thought made the book unique to it's comparable others. Patricia Polacco started as goats getting lose rather than a mission to be accomplished and thus the book carries itself as more curiosity than anything, which defined it's title. I loved the way they came and went and thought this was a great book for storytelling and tone of voice for what is happening. Polacco never ceases to amaze, and I love this simple story right up against her deeper and more personal books.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary (CIP): Three rambunctious goats escape through an unlocked gate, chased by alarmed shepherds, in a variation of the popular ditty “Going on a Lion (or Bear) Hunt."

REVIEW:

Booklist: Positive. "This exuberant version of a tried-and-true storytime favorite is sure to become a read-aloud favorite."

SLJ: Positive. "Polacco's signature pencil-and-watercolor paintings cascade across the pages, creating festive scenes and bright hues. An appealing introduction for children not yet ready for the author's longer tales."

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the story was starting off well, but it is SO similar to Rosen's Going on a Bear Hunt, that it felt like a copy cat. It is sweet illustrations and personality to personable and familiar characters from the farm. While a familiar start, it became a little too abstract at the carnival and with the ogre, that my almost-three year old and myself didn't understand. I was surprised, but we don't enjoy this book.

However, it has excellent color illustrations, and room for rhyme and creative thoughts!

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this picture book, three goats and a girl adventure past the open gate, through the fields, over the hills and to a fair where they are scared by an ogre and race back home to where it is safe.
The text is simple and repetitive and the language is rich with onomatopoeia.
The pictures are vibrant and tell the story, so it is perfect for early readers.

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for younger children who are not yet ready for a longer picture book, this story of three goats who escape to a grand adventure is filled with fun language patterns that will tickle little kiddlies. Very, very fun!

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great kids book, featuring, Nubian goats which I raise and love. Sort of like Were Going on a Bear Hunt, but with Goats as the main characters making the journey. Very cute, great artwork. Love Patricia Polacco

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goats make for a good adventursome story and these three have great personality. There is effective use of repetition of a three line phase using a number of positional words. A fun way for preschoolers to encounter these concepts.

[Josie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the same format as "Going on a bear hunt"', young goats sneak out the gate an go on an adventure. The repetition in the text encourages children to chant along and act out parts. I have paired it with Paul Galdone's "Three Billy Goats Gruff" for preschool storytime.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little rhymy. For smaller children.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations in all her books. Good review (repetition) of prepositions.

[Whitney Zollman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun repetitious book for a read aloud. This book has great illistrations and the little kids will love the goats.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you: http://www.indiebound.org

[Lee]

Grandchildren loved it!

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Three Billy Goats Gruff meets "We Are Going on a Bear Hunt".

[Bradley Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I love this book "

[Ms. DiSerafino]

This book helped us practice position words like under, over, through and around.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story with lots of repetition and sounds effects. Great for story time in a large group.

[Kelly Risinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like going on a Bear Hunt so much better.

[Breanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meant for younger children. Still an enjoyable read.

[Ame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent illustrations, lots of goats, and a fun way to learn prepositions

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

bear hunt with goats

[Justine Liddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book uses repetition, so as you read, you start to notice the pattern of "Can't go over it, cant go under it, can't go around it..." The illustrations in the book are great, they tell more to the story that what the words say. Like it doesn't start of saying once upon a time three goats went on an adventure. But the pictures show that it is three goats the start this story by going through the gate, because they can't go over, under or around the gate. I read this book to my own children, as I do many books! After I finished reading the book, three of my kids where being chased by the 4th, the ogre, as they would come upon toys, chairs, or what have you, they would repeat the phrase, "can't go over it, can't go under it, can't go around it..."

[Aleishka Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading “Oh, Look!”, because of its repetitive phrases that made it interesting to see what was happening next. Also seeing the animals being the ones that spoke throughout was very eye-catching.In a playful interactive chant, three mischievous little goats found their way out of the gate as it went (squeak, squeak, squeak!), over a bridge (click, click, click!) through some mud (squish, squish, squish!), onto a carousel (um pah pah pah, um pah pah!)...and right into the path of an angry ogre! Which then were scared of so they had to turn back around. They were so happy chanting as they turned right around and ran straight back over the path they traveled, until at last they were back home again, “safe and sound.”

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of adventurous little goats run away from their farm and into a carnival, with their owners chasing close behind. They all end up having a lot of fun until they get scared by a costumed worker whose dressed like an ogre. They all run promptly home, right the way they came.

A nice string of repeating words to help understand the use of particular words.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

A take-off on a "Bear Hunt." Like the sounds.

Probably, won't make a difference to children but I wasn't sure of some of the distinctions like can't go over the hill, but you can climb up it? More of a 3.5.