The Cath in the Hat: Ogg and Bob: Meet Mammoth

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Ogg and Bob: Meet Mammoth

Ogg caveman.
Bob caveman too.
Ogg and Bob friends.
Mug Ogg and Bob's pet mammoth.
Mug big.
Mug give Ogg and Bob many problems.

Meet Mammoth transports young readers back to prehistoric times when people lived in caves and gigantic wooly animals walked the land. The beginning chapter book relates how Ogg and Bob, best friends, acquire their pet mammoth Mug. Deciding to ambush the creature, they cover a hole with straw and sticks only to become trapped themselves. The ever curious Mug sticks his trunk into the hole, the cavemen latch on, and the mammoth flings them into a tree. It's not easy being a caveman, though, because at the bottom of the tree is a Saber-tooth tiger, looking for a snack. Ogg and Bob, after teasing the tiger, end up being catapulted onto the mammoth's broad back. The cavemen name their new pet Mug and take him home to their cave.

In Chapter Two Ogg and Bob attempt to train their new pet with comic results, and in Chapter Three they knock themselves out trying to stop Mug from snoring so they can get a good night's sleep.

This engaging early chapter book packs a heavy dose of humor in its pages. The action is of the slapstick sort, with Ogg and Bob flying through the air, getting hit on the head with rocks, and being sat on by a 10 ton mammoth. The text is amusing too. Ogg and Bob talk in the time-honored way of all cavemen, like toddlers learning to form sentences. For instance, stuck in the pit, they ponder an escape plan.

"Think of way out," said Bob.
"Head hurt," said Ogg.
"From fall?" asked Bob.
"From thinking," said Ogg.

Meet Mammoth is a first time effort by Ian Fraser, who wrote the book for his high-school senior project. (I'm willing to bet he aced it.) His mother, Mary Ann Fraser, author and illustrator of numerous children's books, did the artwork. The illustrations portray Ogg and Bob as a pair of lovable and none-too-bright stooges. Mug is painted a friendly blue, which livens up the otherwise muted palette of earth tones. A companion book about the trio, Life with Mammoth, is also out.

Here's the trailer for Meet Mammoth. Enjoy!