Fails to live up to the high standards already in place for alternative-POV classics.
Illustrator Lamont’s Nursery Rhyme Crimes series gets off to an uneven start.
The device of retelling classic tales from another viewpoint is no longer new, but it remains popular. Here, the bored shepherding tyke struggles to teach her flock how to play hide and seek, only to later lose them because they have hidden themselves so well. Though the adults who have to search for them aren’t impressed at the trick, the sheep feel she was unjustly blamed. In the simultaneously publishing companion, Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son, the pig tells the truth behind the lesser-known rhyme about a boy, a stolen pig and a beating. It seems the boy and the pig were fast friends, bonding over the boy’s piping and the pig’s “pongs.” But when the pig hears the word “bacon,” the boy steals him away to live in the forest. While there is nothing inherently wrong with Lamont’s stories, they don't have much pizzazz either. Moreover, their appeal Stateside may be limited. A few British spellings (practised, pedalled, cos) and several rhymes that don't work with American accents will trip readers up. “When we came out from where we were hid, / how surprised they all were, to be sure. / But it seems that Bo Peep was sent home in disgrace— / you would think that she’d broken the law!” And although Lamont’s pen-and-watercolor illustrations amuse, they do not compensate for the books’ liabilities.
Fails to live up to the high standards already in place for alternative-POV classics. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-84780-154-8
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This Old MacDonald’s not much fun. E-I-E-I-O.
Snape and Steele give readers a modern twist.
Old MacDonald is a going-gray-around-the-temples beige-skinned man with a black husband and a beige-skinned baby. When his husband drives off in the morning, MacDonald is left in charge of the child with help from his pets—and eventually the entire barnyard, as with each stanza a new animal joins the action. Steele’s bright, cartoon-style illustrations sell the zaniness of a new dad’s day. They elevate the story as bipedal animals assist the harried dad with the increasing chaos, but they can’t save it. Snape’s word choice often fights the tempo of the song, and the few moments of alliteration may create tongue-twisters during read-alouds: “And for that baby he sang a song, / E-I-E-I-O. / With a boom-boom here, / And a crash-bang there, // Here’s a clap, there’s a whack, / Everywhere’s a raucous ruckus!” The constantly changing language—so different from the song’s patterning—makes it impossible for a child or a group of children to sing along. The joy of “Old MacDonald” is the call-and-response opportunity offered with each additional animal. What does a goat say again? In this version, adults may chuckle at the memory of the frantic early years, but children will feel frustrated that they have limited moments to join in the fun. It sinks some really good illustrations.
This Old MacDonald’s not much fun. E-I-E-I-O. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30281-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
An engaging tale of laughter versus grumpiness, illustrated in a nostalgic style.
A plague of grouchy creatures infests a small town in this debut rhyming picture book.
It’s a normal day in a quiet town when the Grumbles arrive: “They made the town folk gloomy and glum, / With the grumbly effect they had on everyone.” But the townspeople don’t want to be grumpy, so they come up with ideas on how to get rid of the creatures. First, they yell at the Grumbles. Unfortunately, the shouts only make the creatures dig in deeper. Eventually, a child suggests making the Grumbles laugh. The residents agree to give it a try, and one man with a long mustache starts telling a knock-knock joke. After the Grumbles back away, the people laugh harder, and when one kid dances, the creatures flee. Page’s rhymes start as a three-line pattern and move to a four-line one, keeping a consistent scansion. With a few intriguing vocabulary words (tolerate, recoil, foiled) to keep children on their toes, the poetry should appeal to young independent readers and lap readers. Templer’s charming, old-fashioned illustrations feature a populace with different skin tones and body types, all troubled by the blobby Grumbles. The creatures have frowning mouths, sharp teeth, and ratlike noses. While the author’s message that grumpiness can be driven away through laughter and music is a familiar moral, the simple delivery and the folk-tale quality of the enjoyable story should strike a positive note with young readers.
An engaging tale of laughter versus grumpiness, illustrated in a nostalgic style.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5434-9583-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Xlibris Corp
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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