The terrible plop

In this uproarious update of a favorite story, an unexplained noise leads to pandemonium among the animals. The fox, the elephant, even the big brown bear prove no match for the Terrible Plop. Only the littlest bunny learns not to panic when the sky--or something else up there--is falling.

Bright, energetic illustrations and a lively rhyming text combine to make this a perfect read-aloud story for little ones needing assurance that plops in the day or bumps in the night aren't as scary as they might seem.

Author Notes

Ursula Dubosarsky was born in Ursula Coleman, Sydney, in 1961. She is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults, whose work is characterised by a child's vision and voice. She has won nine national literary prizes, including five New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. She is the author of illustrated books and novels, and also three works of non-fiction about the English language, grammar and etymology for children, featuring a comically enthusiastic character known as "The Word Spy". These "Word Spy" books, illustrated by Tohby Riddle, have won the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, the Children's Book Council of Australia Junior Judges' Award and Book of the Year Award. In the United States and Canada "The Word Spy" is published under the title "The Word Snoop. Three of her books have been adapted for theatre - "The Red Shoe", "The Terrible Plop" and "Too Many Elephants In This House".

She is a Hans Christian Andersen Award Nominee and a Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Nominee.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-In this Australian import, some things aren't as scary as they seem. The story is told in rhyme, with mixed-media cartoon illustrations. "Six little rabbits/Down by the lake/Munching on carrots/And chocolate cake" hear a mysterious, frightening "Plop" in the water. Five of them flee the forest, and are soon followed by an illogical assortment of animals, including a goose, antelope, leopard, moose, and pig. A big brown bear, infuriated at the thought of a creature more fearsome than he, bullies the littlest, stay-behind rabbit into showing him where this Terrible PLOP is. It proves to be only an apple falling into the lake from a nearby tree, yet the bear, too, unaccountably runs off in terror, and the rabbit happily returns to munching cake, carrots, and apples. Children would love the repetition of the word "PLOP," but the pedestrian story line, bland rhyming text, and mediocre artwork add up to a less-than-satisfying offering.-Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

When they hear a terrifying "PLOP!" six little rabbits that have been peacefully munching chocolate cake and carrots by the lake end up initiating animal mass hysteria a la Henny Penny. Newcomer Joyner's cartoonish illustrations are full of melodramatic action as the entire forest of panicked animals runs from a foe they've never seen. Dubosarsky's (Rex) reworking of a Tibetan story is full of sure-footed rhythm and rhymes that repeat words without becoming stale ("They do not stay./ They do not stop./ They run run run/ From the Terrible PLOP"). Even the biggest bear in the forest is eventually fooled-only the reader and "the littlest rabbit/ with the littlest hop" discover that the ominous sound is nothing but an apple falling from an overhanging tree into the lake. This talented Australian duo builds the suspense to just the right pitch, skillfully focusing the story on the smallest rabbit. Despite its fears, the rabbit ends up enjoying some more cake by the shore as it concludes that "All this running/ Should really stop.../ Who's afraid/ Of a silly old PLOP?" Ages 3-6. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Publisher's Weekly Review