Synopses & Reviews
Who tells the true stories behind well-loved nursery rhymes? Daddy Goose! With fresh, full-color illustrations throughout, it's the perfect Father's Day gift--a treasury for the whole family to share.
Meet Daddy Goose--a distant relative of old Mother Goose, the fine-feathered fellow who makes up fantastic stories around her classic nursery rhymes. He's here to fly children through a picture-filled nursery world, telling 12 fresh, funny, five-minute tales behind the cherished poems. Why did Humpty Dumpty sit on that fateful wall? What prompted the Dish and the Spoon to run away together? Daddy Goose explains it all, in a way only he can. With the Goose as a guide, real dads (moms, too!) will be ready with brand-new bedtime stories. A read-aloud collection for the whole family to relish.
Review
SLJ
PreS-KFrench includes 12 untold stories that give background and context for such familiar rhymes as Little Miss Muffet,” Georgie Porgie,” Old King Cole,” and Hickory, Dickory, Dock.” In Hey, Diddle, Diddle,” a cow named Lilly leaves home because she wants to be famous. Soon she meets a dog that is carrying a basket with a grumpy-looking tin dish and an angry-looking silver spoon” and is practicing to be a juggler. Although Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel's And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon (Harcourt, 2001) expands this favorite rhyme into a humorous story and Mini Grey's The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon (Knopf, 2006) tells what happens after the dish and the spoon run away, there is always room for another original tale. Four European illustrators contribute lively, colorful, and witty illustrations that adeptly articulate the cozy narratives. There is pleasing variety in the size, shape, and placement of the visuals that masterfully adorn the large-print text. Images include a roof of a house that is made out of wool from black sheep, a mermaid named Mary tending a garden, and an old king playing the Scottish pipes.” All of the details stand out clearly on the bright white background. Children will enjoy this sprightly collection that affectionately showcases favorite Mother Goose characters.Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA