A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

A too-long setup leads readers through a repetitious song that enumerates a marine food chain.

In Law’s adaptation of the traditional cumulative song, there is a shark in the hole in the bottom of the sea. He is joined by an eel, a squid, a crab, a snail and a green weed. Rather than repeating the first, the second line of each verse adds a small rhyming detail—the shark is in the dark, the eel is concealed, the squid hid—increasing the level of difficulty for an already tough-to-sing tune. The sun kicks off the food chain illustrated in the final two double-page spreads. In one, the smiling animals line up, mouths or appendages reaching for their next meal; the other depicts the still-smiling animals inside each other. McDonald’s childlike cartoon gouache-and-collage illustrations are a mishmash of textures, colors and patterns that mostly reflect the marine habitat. But the setting is not consistently a hole in the bottom of the sea. Rather, the five animals (and two scuba divers) appear just under a sailboat on the surface. Backmatter provides information about blue holes, food chains, the ocean, and the featured flora and fauna. Sheet music shares the copyright page.

The marble-mouthed song, too-cheerful illustrations and disconnect between the song and setting make this one to skip; for a less busy but still child-friendly look at food chains, try Mick Manning’s Snap! (2006).