JIGGLE JOGGLE JEE!

A turn-of-the-century poem is resurrected and paired with Williams’s sparkling illustrations. Appearing originally as “The Baby Goes to Boston” (circa 1902), Richards’s exuberant poem describes the sights and sounds of baby’s whirlwind journey on an old-fashioned locomotive. Some of the syntax and word-choices whisper of yesteryear—e.g., “Are they running for to go / Riding with the locomo?” and “Each chasing t’other one”—and may cause modern tongues to trip at first. Yet, the rhythmic tempo and easy flow of the words quickly carries readers over these rough patches. Richards’s nonsense rhymes have timeless appeal; the gleeful refrain “Jiggle joggle, Jiggle joggle, Jiggle joggle jee!” is as entrancing to little ones now as it was a hundred years ago. Williams’s full-bleed watercolor and pencil illustrations are a perfect foil for the poem, deftly bridging the gap between the ages with a fantasy landscape that’s straight from baby’s dreams. A toy train chugs along with a cargo of stuffed animals, whizzing through a colorful, enchanting world filled with fairy castles, a smiling balloon sun, and cheery tots cavorting in a strawberry tree. The captivating illustrations clamor for leisurely, in-depth perusals and prove to be as beguiling as Richards’s poem. Nostalgic and brimming with old-world charm, this merry romp is a great ride. (Picture book. 2-5)