Little Miss Muffet's Count-Along Surprise [Hardcover]

Emma Chichester Clark (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1997 | Age Level: 3 and up

It's a special day for Little Miss Muffet. But she doesn't know it yet. As her animal friends appear--one spider, two lemurs, three magpies, and more--carrying gifts and decorations and tasty treats, she can only count and wonder. What's all the fuss about? The reader is in on the secret: It's Miss Muffet's birthday, and everyone--from one spider to 10 crocodiles--is gathering for a gala surprise party. What better way to learn counting skills?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Clark throws the traditional nursery rhyme "playfully on its ear, as the spider invites Miss Muffet to 'Please stay!' " in this story that PW called "clever and sprightly." Ages 2-6. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K. Miss Muffet's tuffet is set in a fanciful blue, green, and yellow forest. As the little girl eats her curds and whey, animals, birds, and reptiles appear bearing party decorations, festive foods, and gifts for what eventually turns out to be her birthday party. She seems to be unaware that she is even having a birthday, which may be a source of puzzlement to young listeners. The text repeats the first three lines of the nursery rhyme and then adds to the one spider: two lemurs, three magpies, four foxes, five pussycats, six poodles, seven bears, eight puffins, nine gibbons, and ten crocodiles, with their various party paraphernalia, in lilting and clever verses. The numerals are set out in ovals for easy identification, but the colorful, cartoon double-page spreads are so busily cluttered that counting the often-exotic creatures becomes less and less appealing as the crowd gathers, making the story deficient as a concept book.?Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers (September 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385325177
• ISBN-13: 978-0385325172
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,104,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book for Children, January 28, 2001

By 

Steve Millman (Gilbert, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Miss Muffet's Count-Along Surprise (Hardcover)

This book was a huge surprise: it has everything in it a great children's book must have. The elements found in this book include:

1. Counting. My son greatly enjoys how the numbers of Miss Muffet's visitors keep growing.

2. Rhyming. One thing that really grabs my son's attention is rhyming. The rhyming in this book is very clever and definitely rivals Dr. Seuss's best works.

3. Rhythm. This book is easy to read quickly. Not that the book is short, but that the words flow extremely well. As a result, even an 18 month old doesn't have time for attention to wander.

4. Color. The illustrations are full of color and wonderfully illustrate the story. Looking at the pictures is as much fun as reading the story.

5. Story. The story is interesting! My son is excited by each page every time we read the book.

This book, on it's first reading, became one of my son's favorites. I even look forward to reading it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the purchase, June 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Little Miss Muffet's Count-Along Surprise (Paperback)

...I have seen quite a few books cross my children's hands. Little Miss Muffet's Count Along Surprise was an immediate hit with all. They read it and reread it aloud to each other constantly. The imaginative words are cleverly knit together and flow with an ingenious rhythm almost completely absent in much of modern children's monosyllabic literature. It is a PLEASURE to hear--even over and over.

The illustrations are imaginative and full of vibrant color and action. They ably embrace the counting element of the book but more importantly, I think, they appeal to children's taste for inventive combinations of related bits of information: "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey, when along came three magpies with taffeta bow-ties and silk vests of very pale grey." Or, "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey, when along came nine gibbons with balloons tied with ribbons and bananas arranged on a tray."...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Little Miss Muffett's Count-Along Surprise is GREAT!, June 7, 2005

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Little Miss Muffet's Count-Along Surprise (Paperback)

Let me begin by saying they have got the age range wrong. I think any child 5 and under would enjoy this book. (My eldest just turned 5 and she certainly likes it.) The artwork is colorful and pleasant and as you turn the pages the pictures become increasingly dense with added characters and action. Certainly there is enough activity to keep older children occupied. And because of the repetitiveness they might even *read* it themselves.

We adore this book. It has humor and warmth and it extends the old short rhyme with an even better story. In this version, Little Miss Muffett's spider doesn't chase her away, instead he asks her to stay. Then come lemurs with streamers, magpies with bowties, foxes with boxes, pussycats with partyhats, poodles with oodles of noodles, bears with chairs, puffins with muffins, gibbons with ribbons and crocodiles with 10 greedy smiles. But to what end? Surprise! It's a birthday party.

There is so much to this book. It teaches counting and rhyming. It introduces animals that are not typical in young children's' reading: puffins, lemurs and gibbons. For my children, it elicited in them the desire to memorize the poem (it was so much fun). To me this indicates that they are learning to love literature and reading.

I think it would make a great birthday gift, but don't buy it just for that. Think of all that your child could learn.