From School Library Journal
PreS–These appealing books feature charming watercolor depictions of toddlers living out the events in beloved nursery rhymes. My son John falls asleep while reading
Mother Goose and is lovingly put in his crib by his parents. Little Miss Muffet sits on a big fluffy pillow while she eats her usual snack. The traditional along came a spider has been slightly altered to read, there came a big spider. These two titles join Pearson's versions of
Hector Protector and
Little Bo-Peep (both Farrar, 2004) to make nice additions to board-book collections.
–Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS. Like Pearson's previous board books
Little Bo-Peep (2004) and
Little Miss Muffet (2004), this one also interprets nursery rhymes by using modern children in home settings, rather than fantasy characters in historical costumes. In this very simple, yet pleasing interpretation of the familiar rhyme "Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling," a toddler with a Mother Goose book approaches his father. Dad puts down his newspaper to read the rhymes. When father and son nod off to sleep, mother carries the boy to his crib. His shoe falls to the floor, offering a parallel with the "one shoe off, / and one shoe on" line of the rhyme. The family dog, a rapt observer in the early scenes, picks up the boy's shoe on the wordless last page. Beyond the rhythmic, rhyming nonsense of the verse, children will enjoy the illustrations, watercolors in soft hues, depicting the appealing characters and familiar objects. A welcome addition to the list of books for very young children that feature African American characters.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
