Tag: nursery rhymes

Twinkle , Twinkle, Little Star, illustrated by Matt Shanks

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

There is no doubting the popularity of classic nursery rhyme brought to life in this book, though probably many readers will be surprised at the number of verses, some of which may be less familiar. But it is the way it is brought to life in the adorable illustrations which make this version so appealing. Olive the owl (named only in the blurb), flies across the darkening landscape, delivering books (each adorned with a star) to her sleepy friends – a flock of sheep, a family of wombats, even a human child – before returning home to read to her three owlets.

The gentle blues and purples of the night skies, together with the expressive, sweet faced animals and the familiar text make this an ideal bedtime or rest time offering.

Lovely.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, illustrated by Matt Shanks
Scholastic, 2017
ISBN 9781760158668

The Cow Tripped Over the Moon by Tony Wilson ill Laura Wood

Hey diddle

You all know the riddle,

A cow jumps over the moon.

It happened, all right,

On a crisp, cloudless night

On the second last Friday in June

Hey diddle

You all know the riddle,

A cow jumps over the moon.

It happened, all right,

On a crisp, cloudless night

On the second last Friday in June

The first time the cow tried to jump over the moon, was disastrous. Embarrassing. And as for the fiddler cat? Some practice wouldn’t go astray there either. Luckily they were among friends and friends help friends. So begins a night of getting it right. Some training, some direction, some practice and support all help to make the night a success. Along the way, there’s plenty of fun. Illustrations are full bleed and full of nighttime blues, reds, golds and more. Endpapers feature patchwork paddocks.

The Cow Tripped Over the Moon revisits the popular riddle ‘The Cow Jumped over the Moon’ and explores just what happened before ‘opening night’. This delightful nonsense has at its heart a reminder that things don’t always go perfectly the first time. It explores the nature of friendship, the value of persistence, failure and success. Young readers will come for the silliness, and that’s as good a reason as any to get lost in a story. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

The Cow Tripped Over the Moon, Tony Wilson ill Laura Wood
Scholastic Press 2015
ISBN: 9781743623534

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Bridget's Book of Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes are age old. Some are steeped in symbolism, others tell stories of great historical events. Some teach counting, others are plain nonsense. But children are generally not interested in any of that, they love nursery rhymes for the rhyme and repetition, the absurdity and the familiarity. The collection opens with full page colour for ‘Pat-a-Cake’ and ends with bath, bed and a final ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’. In this last, a smaller image looks through the bedroom window at the night sky as the text diminishes in size (volume? wakefulness?) In between, there are a variety of well-known rhymes.

Bridget’s Book of Nursery Rhymes, released in hardback in 2006, is now in a sturdy, large-format square paperback. Bridget’s illustrations are in bright primary colours with black outlines. Some openings have bright colour backgrounds, others make use of the white space. A young teddy bear features strongly but there are also rabbits, pigs, mice and more. A small mouse is present on each page for a child to find. It is easy to imagine this book being a bedtime favourite with both reader and child. Recommended for preschool children.

Bridget's Book of Nursery Rhymes

Bridget’s Book of Nursery Rhymes, Bridget Strevens-Marzo
Little Hare 2007
ISBN: 9871921272127

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