“I’m Still Here in the Bathtub turns 10 years old on April
1st! Thanks to all who’ve sung along and laughed along for the past decade!” writes Alan Katz on his Facebook page.
Just as they did with Take Me Out of the Bathtub, Alan Katz and David Catrow lampoon the classics with rowdy humor and fun-to-sing rhymes. “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”? Nope. Try “He’s Got the Whole Beach in His Pants.” “Frere Jacques” becomes “I’m a menace” and you can forget about old McDonald and his farm–that tune now tells the story of “My friend Donald’s catfish parm.”
Katz wisely keeps the lyrics from straying too far into bathroom territory, keeping the fun both palatable and genuinely funny, and illustrator Catrow (Plantzilla, Santa Claustrophobia) again proves an indispensable member of the team, with wry details and memorable characters,” said reviewer Paul Hughes.
Alan also scripted episodes for animated shows including Taz-Mania, Goof Troop and Disney’s Raw Toonage (Emmy nominee for Best Writing). Alan also created and wrote long running stage shows including Glued to the Tube and The Wheel of Fortune Live Tour, and he developed and wrote the Nickelodeon Studios Live Tour at Universal Studios in Orlando.
Alan has written print, television and radio advertising and promotional campaigns for a wide array of consumer products and entertainment properties, including Pepsi, McDonald’s, Disney World, The Weather Channel, HBO, Showtime, and many of the Rainbow Media networks.
As a follow-up to Take Me Out of the Bathtub (McElderry, 2001), Katz packs the same child-appealing humor into sadly sloppy lyrics that don’t scan with the well-known tunes he has tried to fit them to, and which go on far too long. “I Always Lose” (to the tune of “Skip to My Lou”) starts with the loss of a parka, backpack, and tuba, and continues, “Turned around, lunch box was gone/Could’ve sworn I had a hat on/There’s no sign of baby bro Ron/He’s a pain, but he’s darling.” “No Medication” (to the tune of “Down by the Station”) does what most kids dream of doing: “No medication/Don’t care what the doc says/Won’t put that stuff in my belly/Tastes bad, you know/Mom sticks it in ice cream/Thinks that she can fool me/I flick it out the window/Look out below!” Unfortunately, the lyrics are even more awkward and less funny when read aloud instead of sung. Catrow’s over-the-top, zany, mixed-media cartoons may pull readers into this collection that promises fun, but only delivers frustration. – School Library Journal
Young People's Pavilion 