Arresting artwork combined with a playful challenge of seek-and-find offers readers a fresh alternative to more traditional Mother Goose collections. This one, featuring over 40 rhymes, is an intriguing blend of familiar and arcane verses. The tried-and-true favorites are all here: “Pat-a-Cake,” “Three Blind Mice,” “Jack Be Nimble,” and others. However, the selection of less well-known rhymes will be a delightful discovery for readers, young and old. Rhymes such as “Peddler’s Song,” “Diddly, Diddly, Dumpty,” “Cuckoo, Cuckoo, Cherry Tree,” not often included in collections, are reintroduced to a new generation of children. The front pages contain the beginning of the classic rhyme “Cackle, cackle, Mother Goose, / Have you any feathers loose?,” giving readers the task of seeking out all the loose feathers incorporated into the illustrations. Close scrutiny of each page rewards with the discovery of a lone feather in the landscape. Beaton’s (Zoe and Her Zebra, 1999, etc.) splendid collages revel in the whimsy of Mother Goose . The artwork is executed with Beaton’s signature flair; color-filled collages feature intricately sewn pieces of felt and other materials, assembled to create vivid images so three-dimensional that readers will be tempted to run their fingers over the pages to feel the textures. With cheerful characters capering across the pages and encouraging readers to abandon themselves to the wit and wisdom of Mother Goose, this ebullient collection of rhymes deserves a special spot on the shelf. A foreword includes a rather esoteric introduction from the publisher regaling interested adults with an abbreviated history of Mother Goose, from her roots in an ancient Hindu goddess to her first published appearance in 1697. (contents list, index) (Picture book. 2-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 1-84148-073-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems.
Rhyming poems introduce children to anthropomorphized trucks of all sorts, as well as the jobs that they do.
Adorable multiethnic children are the drivers of these 16 trucks—from construction equipment to city trucks, rescue vehicles and a semi—easily standing in for readers, a point made very clear on the final spread. Varying rhyme schemes and poem lengths help keep readers’ attention. For the most part, the rhymes and rhythms work, as in this, from “Cement Mixer”: “No time to wait; / he can’t sit still. / He has to beg your pardon. / For if he dawdles on the way, / his slushy load will harden.” Slonim’s trucks each sport an expressive pair of eyes, but the anthropomorphism stops there, at least in the pictures—Vestergaard sometimes takes it too far, as in “Bulldozer”: “He’s not a bully, either, / although he’s big and tough. / He waits his turn, plays well with friends, / and pushes just enough.” A few trucks’ jobs get short shrift, to mixed effect: “Skid-Steer Loader” focuses on how this truck moves without the typical steering wheel, but “Semi” runs with a royalty analogy and fails to truly impart any knowledge. The acrylic-and-charcoal artwork, set against white backgrounds, keeps the focus on the trucks and the jobs they are doing.
While there are many rhyming truck books out there, this stands out for being a collection of poems. (Picture book/poetry. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5078-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A testament to the universality of love.
An expanded explanation of love in both English and Spanish.
Several animal personalities pose the question, “What is love?” and in a series of lift-the-flap responses present various emotional scenarios. Little Elephant asks Spider, “Is it the joy of having you around?” Spider asks, “Is it the way you lift me when I’m down?” Each page corresponds to a flap that reveals one of a multitude of feelings love can evoke in either an English or Spanish rhyme, which are not direct translations of each other. An interspersed refrain notes, “Amor for the Spanish, / and love en inglés. / Love in any language / always means the same.” A palette of pastels and purple and pink hues dominate as hearts abound on each page, surrounding the characters, who are adorable though on the overly sweet side. The characters are from the bilingual preschool series Canticos, though it will work even among those without knowledge of the show. Children more fluent in Spanish will be better able to appreciate this, and those familiar with the show will recognize the signature characters, including “Los Pollitos” (Little Chickies). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A testament to the universality of love. (Board book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-945635-72-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
