Favorite Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose by Scott Gustafson

From the Publisher

From nonsense to lessons learned, these 45 rhymes include the very well known (Itsy Bitsy Spider) and the somewhat familiar (Hickety, Pickety, My Black Hen). The truly fantastic pictures speak more than a thousand words as artist Scott Gustafson riffs in paint on themes present and imagined in each verse.

Nursery rhymes are classic, and so are some of the artist's interpretations. But other paintings are surprises, like an anthropomorphic baking bear, a pelican sea captain, and Peter Piper as a pug on two legs. Welcome to a world where "There Was a Crooked Man" is not about a hunchbacked senior but rather a madcap, double-jointed dandy who might be "crooked" in more ways than one. Jack (Be Nimble) is a leaping cricket and Yankee Doodle a fun-loving chipmunk on a fullsize horse.

Scott Gustafson's unique style, influenced by legendary book illustrators Arthur Rackham and N. C. Wyeth, makes this a volume to be treasured by children and illustrated-book lovers of all ages.

Children's Literature

While this book is targeted to young children, its one hundred pages make it a bit hefty to lug around, so parents and caregivers will probably put little ones on their lap when they share these forty-five classic rhymes. Some of the more familiar rhymes such as "Old King Cole," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Little Bo Peep," and "Humpty Dumpty" are contrasted with a few that may be much less familiar such as "Under a Hill," "The Lion and the Unicorn," and "Fiddle-de-Dee." The pictures have an old fashioned look, but Gustafson has added modern touches by including a multicultural cast of young children. Good examples are the little girl with braided hair clapping her hands as Little Tommy Tucker sings for his supper, the boy with his toy sword in "Humpty Dumpty," and the oriental girl who is Polly pouring tea after putting the kettle on. The illustrations are also full of humor and whimsy—the creatures Gustafson has created have terrific expressions and attire. Humpty looks like an old fashioned barrister, sitting on a wall reading a book who looks disdainfully at the young boy riding his hobby horse. There is plenty to share in these familiar rhymes, and the illustrations will be a treat for the adults as well as the children, who will first listen to the rhymes and later read them alone and pour over the illustrations—assuming that the book has not been used so often that it is in tatters. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot

Kirsten CutlerCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1
This selection of 45 mostly well-known rhymes showcases lavish illustrations that are perfect for sharing with a group. Suffused in color and charm, the visual interpretations include many delightful details: Jack be Nimble is a grasshopper courting a butterfly; Tommy Tucker is a cat playing an accordion with cymbals between his knees, a drum on his back, and a harmonica and trumpet positioned for putting in his mouth; Humpty Dumpty wears an old-fashioned wig, a monocle, and buckled shoes. The human faces are well drawn and individualized, and the book's design is lovely and varied. While this collection has fewer rhymes than many others, the stunning artwork makes it an essential purchase.

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