Title: Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters Author: Rachel Kolar Illustrator: Roland Garrigue Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press : Ann Arbor, MI Copyright: 2018 Recommended Age Range: 3-8 Formats: Hardback (32 Pages), Kindle E-Book Available from: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, GooglePlay Books, Kobo, and anywhere else children's books and e-books are sold Critical Score: 3/5 Storyteller Score: 3/5 |
Official Summary: From "Mary, Mary, Tall and Scary" to "Wee Willie Werewolf," this collection of classic nursery rhymes turned on their heads will give readers the chills--and a serious case of belly laughs. With clever rhyme and spooky illustrations, Mother Ghost is perfect for getting in the Halloween spirit. Boo! Review: One of your standard, tongue-and-cheek adaptations of the classic Mother Goose nursery rhymes, Mother Ghost is a title that'll get adults and kids alike rolling around on the floor, howling with laughter. Published just before the Halloween season kicked into gear, this title follows same lines as Jack B. Ninja, Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears, Very Little Cinderella, and every other fractured fairy tale created just to appeal to a single idea--a concept that has gotten a lot of attention in the past few years. While twisting classic stories and nursery rhymes, poems, and songs isn't anything new at this point, Mother Ghost does have the benefit of offering quantity over quality. Across the entire book, there are 13 adaptations--an appropriately spooky number--of the classic children's rhymes that many of us grew up on. From "Mary Had a Little Ghost" to "Sing a Song of Witches" (an adaptation of "Sing of Song of Six Pence"), this book offers a plethora of twists to the old rhymes that are just as inclined to be spooky as they are to get you laughing. One of the main things that sells this book's otherwise formulaic nature, though, is its wit. The tone and humor of these adaptations are perfectly sardonic in several cases, just as "Zombie Miss Muffet" who, rather than following tradition and getting scared by a spider, just eats the threat that appears before her. There's an innate comedy to this book's writing that make it an absolute joy to read as an adult, but doesn't stray from the original heart of the nursery rhymes that focused on offering short, bouncy rhymes that were guaranteed to engage children. Particularly in this day and age of children with ADD, ADHD, or just a desire for instant gratification these kinds of quickfire stories make the transition into longer forms of reading a lot easier. Yet the wit of this book doesn't just apply to the writing. The illustrations also have a lot of little, fun details you could focus on and laugh at for a good while. Though this wit is perfectly expressed throughout the majority of the book, the illustrations that highlight "Zombie Miss Muffet" and "Hey, Diddle, Diddle, Black Cat with a Fiddle" are perfect examples of this artistic wit at work. While the Roland Garrigue could have simply stuck with the zombified Little Miss Fuffet eating the spider for his illustration, he adds so much more to the art to make it that much more appealing. From the arm holding the candelabra to the pompadoured ghoul and the teenagers sharing a bowl of worms, everything about the image just looks funny and speaks to a humor adults will adore while kids will be more than content to giggle or shriek at the idea of eating bugs. This idea is then reinforced in "Hey, Diddle, Diddle" as Garrigue not only shows the various things promised in the story but takes the time to make them look absolutely ridiculous. Whether it's the foppish skeleton, the ghoul's silly expression, the frightened frog, the lady sphinx atop the crypt, or the cat-eared devil lurking behind a gravestone, there's so much to look at and laugh at on each and every page this book has to offer. It's a veritable feast for the eyes. If there's one issue I have with this book, though, it's that its frankly too short. Of the standard 24 Mother Goose rhymes, only 13 are present. While I understand that time constraints likely cut things short to get it out before Halloween, particularly when you need to consider the time and attention to keep the book's quality illustrations consistent, the book still felt lacking when all was said and done. Maybe its just because I'm someone who reads these poems regularly and often loves to find longer, sillier versions to play with during storytimes but these ones feel like they've been cut short, which makes it harder for me to recommend it for anyone's collection. On the other hand, though, what this book does offer is expertly crafted and just generally fun to read. As preludes or conclusions to bedtime stories, these would be fantastic. I could even imagine using this as an introduction to a writing unit for some 3rd-5th graders, prompting them to come up with a short nursery rhyme of their own. While I wouldn't recommend it for a storytime necessarily, it would be a great connection or continuation text to recommend following a spooky storytime or craft. So, all in all, it's just a fun book that I think could see some use in both a personal and professional setting.
5 Comments
Erin Willoughby
10/27/2018 05:19:54 pm
Joseph,
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Brittany Vanzo
10/28/2018 08:52:15 am
This is such a great Halloween book! I loved your idea of using this book to spark writing prompts, as well as your point of how well suited this book's style is for readers with ADD, ADHD, etc. Your one gripe about it is understandable, and a good note of caution for people who may want to add this to a collection.
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Becca Thiele
10/31/2018 06:33:16 pm
This is a great nursery rhyme book. Currently I work with toddlers and I know they would love this book at story time. I know that the intended group for this book might be slightly bored with the short length of the rhymes but it would be perfect for the antsy toddlers who love nursery rhymes because of their simplicity and "sing song" way. Plus the details of the illustrations encourage children to explore every detail. It is amazing to me how much children pick up, even small details do not go unnoticed even when adults look right past them.
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Marissa Fletcher
11/13/2018 01:38:18 pm
I love the illustrations in this book! This would be great for teachers to use as a read-aloud during the month of October. Maybe even a few stories a day throughout the course of a week because they are more wordy.
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Evie
11/19/2018 10:00:31 pm
Joseph,
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