The classic nursery rhymes we know and love upsidedown, backward, in gibberish, and fresh out of bounds as only Jon Scieszka could stage them. Mother knows best, but sometimes a little nonsense wins the day. Inspired by Dadaism's rejection of reason and rational thinking, and in cahoots with Blanche Fisher Wright's The Real Mother Goose, this anthology of absurdity unravels the fabric of classic nursery rhymes and stitches them back together (or not quite together) in every clever way possible. One by one, cherished nursery rhymes fromHumpty Dumpty ToHickory Dickory Dock,Jack Be Nimble ToMother Hubbard fall prey to sly subversion as master of fracture Jon Scieszka and acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman refashion them into comic strips, errant book reports, anagrams, and manic mashups. Playfully reconstructed, the thirtysix oldnew rhymes invite further nonsense, bringing kids in on the joke and inviting them to revel in reimagining. Featuring robust back matter, this irreverent take on the rhymes of childhood is a great gift for child readers, a rich classroom resource, and a love song to a living language.
