Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose

Starred review from October 8, 2007
A wholly original Mother Goose book, the Caldecott-winning Dillons' (Jazz on a Saturday Night
, reviewed Aug. 6) collection of number rhymes is so imaginative and playful that each reading yields something new and unexpected. A cast of humans and animals parades across the stark white pages like carnival-goers, some of them sporting elaborate Renaissance masks and clothing. The sophisticated images, however, never interfere with the simplicity of the well-chosen rhymes. Brilliantly colored numbers, letters and inanimate objects become sideshow characters engaging in ancillary action. As the king is in his counting-house and the queen is in her parlor, a knobbly-skinned alligator dressed in a Sir Walter Raleigh–esque jacket and a cat in an Elizabethan ruff peer down from the roof. Opposite, the cat curls up in a laundry basket while the alligator gazes longingly at the blackbird who has just “snapped off” the cone-shaped nose mask of a maid hanging out the clothes. Numerous minor characters populate every page, and the Dillons endow each with distinct individuality. Two “O-U-T spells out” rhymes feature a queen and her froggy king deciding the fate of a chorus line of seven worried potatoes in purple fezes and frills, while opposite, Mary is seated on a milking stool and “eating cherries off a plate.” Despite the incongruities of plot and characters' sizes, the spread is remarkable for its unifying design and execution. Inventive, artistically dazzling and full of wit, this Mother Goose collection is absolutely irresistible. Ages 3-7.

October 1, 2007
PreS-Gr 1-This lively compilation of 24 traditional counting rhymes invites children to explore and chant out numbers. The selections range from familiar ("Baa, baa, black sheep"; "1 potato, 2 potato"; "1, 2, /Buckle my shoe") to less well-known ("Hickery, dickery, /6 and 7, /Alabone, crackabone, /10 and 11, /Spin, spun, /Muskidun, /Twiddle 'em, /Twaddle 'em, /21") and are infused with the rhythm, energy, and colorful language that make them fun to read aloud, bounce to, and repeat again and again. The poems are accompanied by elegant, mostly two-page paintings done in gouache with touches of pencil, and the earthy, eye-pleasing palette is set off by white backdrops. The characters, both animal and human, are costumed in a variety of elaborate masks, strap-on noses, fancy hats, jacquard patterns, striped gowns, fine waistcoats, and buckled shoes, creating a delightful visual ensemble that mixes fairy-tale images with touches of Victorian propriety and the exhilaration and surprise of a Mardi Gras carnival. There is humor throughout, as in "Chook, chook]/Good morning, Mrs. Hen," where the proud mama shows off her colorful chicks to a wolfdressed in cook's hat and apronwho clasps her hands in anticipation of a good meal. Filled with lighthearted details and inventive whimsy, this book has much to look at and much to count. It is a satisfying share-aloud for both lap-sitters and children who know their numbers and can tally up objects."Joy Fleishhacker", School Library Journal

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2007
In a rare jolly mood, the Dillons illustrate 24 traditional counting rhymes with page-filling arrays of capering animals, diminutive grotesques, and human figures wearing partial or full-head masks. The verses progress from 1,2,3, / the bumblebee to 4-and-20 blackbirds. Although the pictures generally provide literal depictions of the action, they have a sophistication that plays oddly against the simple language of the texts. The selection has its quirks, too: As I was going to St. Ives, has, perhaps wisely, been left out but not the lesser known, rather startling Charley Barley, butter and eggs, / Sold his wife for 3 duck eggs . . . . Parents uncomfortable or bored with the more child-friendly illustrations in such standbys as Rosemary Wells My Very First Mother Goose (1996) and its many sequels might find this a more intriguing choice for sharing with their young offspring. Good to pair with Iona Opies Mother Gooses Little Treasures, illustrated by Wells, reviewed on p.117.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)