The matriarch of European nursery rhymes heads south.
This distinctive new collection imagines what 15 classic European lullabies and sung poems for children would sound like set in India. Here, “London Bridge” becomes “Tunga Bridge,” in reference to an old bridge in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka. “My Fair Lady” is now “My Fair Mahila,” the Hindi word for woman, and so on. Mother Goose is pictured on the cover playing a shehnai (Indian oboe). Although some of the updated verses feel a bit flat, the rhymes are fun to chant and introduce young children to basic Hindi, since each verse includes at least one word in the language. Readers will learn how to count from one to 10 in Hindi in “Ek, Do, Time To Go,” the Indian rendition of “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.” Pink’s memorable and colorful digital illustrations pay homage to Indian folk art and time-honored motifs—buildings with Mogul-style architecture are depicted, and characters wear traditional Indian clothing. The artwork also captures the sights and sounds of modern India, showing the country’s emblematic decorated trucks driving along modern-day highways. Glossaries conveniently placed at the bottom of each page provide definitions and pronunciations for the Hindi words included in each poem.
A welcome addition that both subverts and pays tribute to Eurocentric nursery-rhyme tropes. (Picture book/poetry. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3960-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S POETRY
Did you like this book?
A cheery board book that plays the familiar tune.
Anthropomorphic animals, digitally illustrated with a vintage style and palette, play different musical instruments as they make their ways to a cafe to celebrate Otter’s birthday. There’s not much of a story arc in its 10 pages, which lends the book a greeting-card feel. Each spread highlights an animal or two and their respective instruments: Bear plays a flute, Badger strums a guitar, Wolf drives by with a bass in its truck, Cat plays violin, and birthday boy Otter hears Moose on the piano. Press a shiny musical note in each illustration, and the book plays an instrumental line from the familiar song. The quality of the recordings is quite good, capturing the sound and tone of each instrument, and the culminating spread is an ensemble playing the full song. A “glowing candle” is promoted on the cover along with the book’s musical feature, and it appears on a cake on the final spread when all the animals from the prior pages gather to celebrate Otter’s special day. In a potentially confusing turn, Wolf holds the cake instead of playing bass (a fox has stepped in), and an opossum and a rabbit play tambourine, though they weren’t pictured with instruments earlier.
As a book, mildly satisfying; as a greeting card, rather expensive. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9943-7
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Nosy Crow/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Did you like this book?
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
What can all the characters in Mother Goose's world do when the reveler in chief runs out of revelry?
Trapani begins with the familiar first verse of the nursery rhyme, with the trio of fiddlers (cats in green tunics walking on two legs) trailing behind the unmistakably merry monarch. But once he settles into his throne, Cole can't stay awake for the King Cole Ball. Some of his problem is the sweetness of the fiddlers' serenade, but also his party preparations have simply worn him out. Mother Hubbard and her dog, the Three Little Pigs, Little Boy Blue (depicted with brown skin and curly black hair), and Bo Peep (drawn with Asian facial characteristics) each have a try, but to no avail. All the Mother Goose guests pace the floor in distress, until the Queen of Hearts waltzes in with a tray to save the day. The heavenly aroma of her heart-shaped tarts jolts the king from slumber, and the taste puts him back in a party mood. Trapani's paintings, in watercolor, Acryla gouache, ink, and colored pencil, are bright and delightful, but they are busy enough that large groups will find distinguishing them a challenge. The story itself is amusing but does not stand out in the Mother Goose crowd. Music and extended lyrics for "Old King Cole" fill the last page.
A pleasant-enough diversion. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58089-632-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
Categories: CHILDREN'S POETRY
Did you like this book?
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
