Miss Mary Mack [Hardcover]

Mary Ann Hoberman (Author), Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Everyone knows some version of this popular children's hand-clapping rhyme, but in this adaptation, the elephant's fateful jump over the fence is just the beginning of the fun. Popular children's author Mary Ann Hoberman has elaborated on this well known tale to create an absurdly funny story children will want to sing, chant, read, and clap to again and again. And as her previous books have proven, Nadine Westcott's playful watercolor illustrations are the perfect complement to any familiar childhood nonsense rhyme.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hands will be clapping and toes will be tapping to this spunky rendition of a favorite school yard rhyme. Most kids?and grown-ups, too?will readily recognize the first three stanzas of this comical chant, but after the "elephant, elephant, elephant" jumps the "fence, fence, fence," the mayhem begins. Hoberman (One of Each) has the acrobatic pachyderm literally crashing the backyard barbecue of young Mary Mack?and sending hot dogs, catsup and guests flying. Despite the mess, Mary Mack grows quite fond of the friendly beast and, with her famous silver buttons, bribes him to stay. Hoberman's lively verses roll off the tongue. Kids will be eager to learn the hand claps and thigh slaps to accompany this rhythmic romp; instructions, along with music notation, appear on the end pages. Westcott (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly) attacks her latest subject with great verve and her characteristic sweet, silly humor. Three smiling terriers and a cat appear throughout, adding to the rollicking fun. And a tea party scene with Mary Mack and Elephant manages to be both elegant and hilarious. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2AStarting on the bright, yellow title page showing a smiling elephant ambling his way out of the zoo past the snoring zookeeper, this lively rendition of the well-known song and playground game is filled with new verses and humorous pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. Miss Mary is a perky young lady who primps at a pink-skirted vanity table while a newspaper touts "Elephant escapes zoo." The additional verses tell a fuller story of Miss Mary, recounting the elephant's exploits after he jumps the fence and lands in a yard filled with Fourth of July picnickers, and the friendship that ensues between him and the girl. The elephant takes more of center stage with each successive illustration, whether he is soaring through the air, his adroitness belying his size, or landing in a yard, creating an elephant-sized craterAand mess. When the zookeeper finally arrives to retrieve him, Mary begs him to stay, even offering him her silver buttons that soon are no longer down her back but on his trunk. By the end of the story, both Mary and the elephant vault over the fence for 50 cents. This high-flying package of fun, complete with music and hand instructions, will have children clapping along in no time.AJane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316931187
• ISBN-13: 978-0316931182
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,462,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's what you remember...and a whole lot more!, August 31, 2001

By 

Thomas C. Nagy "Music Teacher" (Ebensburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miss Mary Mack (Hardcover)

I use this in the music classes that I teach. The kids love the part that everyone knows, but the authors have taken it a few steps further by adding additional verses. The verses are charming and make a great addition to this already established children's classic. The illustrations are hysterical and subtle. Make sure that you take time to examine them closely!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is fun, fun, fun, February 15, 2010

By 

Jason Kirkfield "The Pride and Sorrow of chil... (Purple Mountains Majesty) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miss Mary Mack (Board Book) (Board book)

I knew this song was older than the book (1998) but I had no idea it was *so* much older. Evidently the song (or at least the first three stanzas) originally dates back to the Civil War.

With acknowledgment to Wikipedia:

===========================================================
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack (name of ship: The Merrimack)
All dressed in black, black, black (ironclad warship)
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons (rivets)
All down her back, back, back (ships are referred to as females)
She asked her mother, mother, mother (the Confederate States of America, i.e., the South)
For fifty cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants (symbol of the Republican party, which was the majority of the Union, i.e., the North)
Jump over the fence, fence, fence (boundary line)
They never came back, back, back
Until the fourth of July, July, July (Independence Day)
===========================================================


The book itself boasts energetic watercolors and of course a memorable rhyme.

Minus half a star for the lack of hand jive clapping instructions, which I believe are included in the non board book version (Miss Mary Mack: A Hand-Clapping Rhyme), and another half star because I would have liked a reference to the history of the song, if only for parents.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, with reservations, January 10, 2011

By 

AFConnors - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miss Mary Mack: A Hand-Clapping Rhyme (Paperback)

I liked this book, like all of the Hoberman song-story books, but it was a little complicated for the preschoolers I teach. The illustrations are complex and hard for a roomful of little ones to "get" right away,- they often asked me what was going on - and I find that "the simpler the better" is a good rule of thumb for this age group.