The Adventures of Simple Simon [Paperback]

Chris Conover (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

"An exceptionally appealing treatment of the tale of Mother Goose's perennial simpleton...Conover's palette is extremely rich, and every detail is thoughtfully chosen and lovingly executed...An imaginative journey unparalleled in any previous visual interpretation of the rhyme."-Starred/School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Conover embellishes the story of Simple Simon (who met a pieman going to the fair) with a festival of distractions. It's almost impossible to follow the rhyming story from beginning to end, as a caravan of animalsstorybook charactersdescends on the fair by foot, camel and ship. Because many small subplots are hatched in the illustrations, readers can spend much time flipping back and forth to see what's happening to whom. The artist uses a wide range of rich autumnal and wintry hues; folkloric details infuse the pictures with charm. Some of the things to look for include Mother Goose characters peppering pages and the endpapers, a house made of pies, a tiny Miss Muffet in cornrow braids, a snail in four hats and a backpack, a curious cabbage leaning out of the vegetable cart to follow a wayward turnip, and hundreds of other touches in this celebration of not one story, but many. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 An exceptionally appealing treatment of the tale of Mother Goose's perennial simpleton. Conover has edit ed the 12 verses judiciously, dropping and recombining lines and adding a few words and phrases of her own. Miracu lously, there is no jarring change of tone. As they always have, Simple Si mon's comic failures contrast reassur ingly with a child's growing ability to get along in the world. Conover pre sents Simon as an endearing ``pump kinhead,'' literally a vegetable boy wearing a court jester's cockscomb cap. He inhabits a highly colored Eliza bethan world complete with a Tudor castle, a Renaissance country fair, and a cast of costumed animal friends from every corner of the earth. Conover's palette is extremely rich, and every de tail is thoughtfully chosen and lovingly executed, giving unity to the episodic verses. The book proceeds from sunny afternoon to starry night and, in a paral lel progression, from coppery fall to co balt blue winter. The illustrations can be ``read'' without text, and readers will be rewarded with new discoveries each time they return to them. Tucked deftly into almost every illustration are miniature scenes from Mother Goose. These delightful asides add a game ele ment to the book, inviting readers to hunt for 16 different nursery rhymes (a list is appended). An imaginative jour ney unparalleled in any previous visual interpretation of the rhyme. Carey Ayres, Port Washington Public Li brary, N.Y.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374400962
• ISBN-13: 978-0374400965
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,259,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Bedtime Story, June 2, 2000

By 

Elizabeth C. Demaree "lizdemaree" (South Orange, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Adventures of Simple Simon (Paperback)

I have read this book over and over again to both my children over a period of almost 9 years, and it never gets stale. The artist has taken a simple nursery rhyme, and created an entire world. Each 2pp spread has both an overall beauty, and many fascinating individual elements. Many of the characters continue throughout the book, creating a fun "where's the radish on this page?" game that is more interesting than the popular "I Spy" books. I highly recommend this book for children ages 2-7.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My childhood in a nutshell..., May 21, 2006

By 

Alena "Natalia" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Simple Simon (Paperback)

This is my favorite childhood book. Everynight before going to sleep, one of my parents would read me a story, and then pick up Simple Simon. By the time I was five, I knew the whole book by heart and you can still catch me reciting the silly little words to myself at times. I still have my original copy sitting on the mantle piece of my fireplace.

What I think I most enjoyed as a child about this book was how silly it was, but it was so captivating. The illustrations were incredible and the rhymes and the poem was such a cute story about a day in the life of Simple Simon.

I plan to make this a favorite of my children when I have them, because this book is completely unforgetable, like a teddy bear you've had forever. And it all starts with the rhyme "Simple Simon met a pieman going to the fair..."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Adventures of Simple Simon and Others, April 25, 2000

By 

Megan Meeker - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Simple Simon (Paperback)

I was introduced to this book at a workshop on post-modern picture books. After hearing a little about the book, I had to order it. This book takes the "simple" nursery rhyme of "Simple Simon" and intertwines various other nursery rhymes characters. The illustrations are wonderful and add such spice to the nursery rhyme. One must really pay attention to the pictures in order to pick up on various details. It's almost like playing "I Spy" with nursery rhyme characters. I would surely recommend this book to anyone.