Grumbles from the Town: Mother Goose Voices with a Twist

Mother Goose rhymes have been around it seems, forever. They are familiar to nearly every child and his or her parent. There are hundreds of books of Mother Goose rhymes, so why a new one? Well, this isn’t your mother’s Mother Goose. These poems are all fresh takes on some of the most popular of the old rhymes. Imagine what the hill or the pail might have to say about Jack and Jill’s journey to fetch a pail of water. Or imagine the story of Old King Cole from his daughter’s point of view or from the fiddle’s.

These are just two examples of how authors Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich have decided to turn these oft-read poems on their heads. The writing is fresh and very clever and funny. Readers, both kids and parents who know the original rhymes, will be amazed and amused by these new renditions. But the icing on the cake is the illustrations by Angela Matteson. Her charming, colorful illustrations are chock full of fun details that play off the poems. In addition, the original poems are printed in the back as well as historical information about the originals. This is a winner.