Nursery rhyme comicsWith 50 nursery rhymes illustrated by an talented array of leading cartoonists, this book is a visual feast. Each cartoonist was asked by editor Chris Duffy to interpret a different nursery rhyme, one suited to their particular taste or style. The result is a humorous, often quirky collection of some old favorites and some lesser-known traditional rhymes.
edited by Chris Duffy
illustrated by 50 cartoonists
NY: First Second, 2011
ages 7 to 12
preview available from First Second
available at your local public library, favorite bookstore or on Amazon
nominated for the 2011 Cybils graphic novel award
Some pairings play off the cartoonists’ reputations - Nick Bruel, well-known for his Bad Kitty series illustrates “Three Little Kittens”, with the kittens ending up eating pie with messy delight. Other artists lend thoroughly modern reinterpretations. Lucy Knisley sets “There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” at “Ruth’s Rock & Roll Baby Sitting” where Ruth - a tattooed old rocker - entertains the children, inviting them to play with her band “The Whips” - and so finding a nice justification for the line “and whipped them all soundly” before she sent them to bed.
Each artist stays true to the traditional nursery rhyme, but they add their own twist and interpretation. I had great fun with Tao Nyeu's interpretation of Rock-a-Bye Baby. Take a look closely at the how the baby gets back at the wolf:
The review copy came from the Association of Children's Librarians, my local review group. It was kindly sent by First Second Books and Macmillan. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.
Review ©2011 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books.
Hi Mary Ann, I have a feeling that my daughter would love love love this book. I shall definitely look out for this one. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like I'm gonna have to break down and buy this one!
ReplyDeleteWhatever gets them reading! This one sounds like it does the job :)
ReplyDelete