MAMA LOVES HER SILLY GOOSE!

A selection of five nursery rhymes and songs embellished with Magsamen’s signature characters, patterns, and faux stitch-work.

With a tall, skinny trim size (9 inches high by 4 inches wide), each double-page spread presents one stanza or verse of a classic rhyme, from the chorus to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” to the first verse of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” In muted pastel hues, a variety of cute critters act out each verse in illustrations that mix spot art and large tableaux. Words are hand-lettered in white, with select, highlighted words reproduced with the illustrator’s trademark prints, so “Jack” and “Jill” appear in multicolored, patterned letters, for instance. These embellished words crowd out the art in some spreads, particularly “Hey, Diddle, Diddle.” Most of the classics are presented straight, but “Humpty Dumpty” gets comfort from parents rather a hapless response from all the king’s horses and men. This is emotionally satisfying, but it also plays havoc with the rhyme’s scansion: “Mommy and Daddy knew what to do… / They gave him lots of hugs and kisses, too!”

While tall in trim size, it’s short on content.