A companion to the two earlier volumes put out by this duo, this venture features original stories based on Mother Goose. Hoberman splits each rhyming story into parts differentiated by the color of the text. One color for one reader, a second for the other and a third color for the two to read together. There are 13 stories plus an introduction and a coda. The characters in these rhymes are recognizable: Simple Simon, Old Mother Hubbard, Little Miss Muffet. However, their antics diverge from the old saws in humorous and inventive ways. Jack Sprat and his wife go on a diet. Old King Cole’s fiddlers get a lesson from the Hey Diddle Diddle Cat. Humpty Dumpty does get put back together, but he complains about the doctor’s bill. Emberley’s happily expressive animals and people are the icing on Hoberman’s madcap Mother Goose. Sure to draw giggles from the most reluctant young readers. (Picture book. 4-8)
