Could Be Verse!: Bonnie and Ben Rhyme Again by Mem Fox

Bonnie and Ben were a boisterous pair

who loved yelling rhymes in the open air.

With hugs and goodbyes to Mom and Dad,, they set out for a outing with Skinny Doug. Doug reminds them of all the rhymes they know by heart, so when they come to a hill, the rhymsters start, with "Jack and Jill." When they spot some sheep, they recite "Little Bo Peep."

A plum tree recalls Jack Horner's pie, and when they spy a web, they recite a rhyme about "Little Miss Muffet"with a spider beside her.

On their stroll, they draw quite a crowd--all of them reciting the rhymes out loud.

And when they encounter a garden of posies, they form a circle and sing "Ring around the Rosie!"

But by then it's growing dark. Have they gone way too far? No, they walk back home, singing, "Twinkle, Little Star."

It's never too early or too late for a spate of verses, and in Mem Fox's salute to versification with Bonnie and Ben, it's once more rhyme time, in Bonnie and Ben Rhyme Again (Beach Lane Books, 2020). For the very young, this book is a good introduction to the body of English nursery rhymes, and for slightly older children, this one gives them the chance to use the cues and chime in with each rhyme. Artist Judy Horacek provides jolly illustrations done in black line and bright watercolor fill which make this a fun book for a sing-along walk with Old Mother Goose!

The noted Mem Fox is also the author of the beloved classic picture book We're Going on a Bear Hunt (Classic Board Books).

Spoofy Spookapedia! Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters by Rachel Kolar

PROLOGUE

BOYS AND GIRLS, COME TRICK OR TREAT

THE MOON IS BRIGHT; THE CANDY'S SWEET.

HOWL AND GIGGLE AND SHOUT AND CHEER

BECAUSE HALLOWEEN IS FINALLY HERE!

It's time for the venerable Mother Goose Rhymes to get a little spooky spoofing, and in Rachel Kolar's Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters (Sleeping Bear Press, 2018), it is parody of a very elegant sort, perfectly preserving the rhythm and meter of the original well- known verses

Favorite nursery rhyme characters get their chance to dress up for the occasion and take on a scarier persona for Fright Night.

Mary had a little ghost; his face was white as cloud.
Everywhere that Mary went, he followed in his shroud.

Little Boy Drac has bats in his belfry instead of sheep in his meadow, and Old Mother Hubbard finds, not a bone in her cupboard, but an angry skeleton who won't part with any of his parts. And Mary, Mary, still contrary, is also "Mary, Mary, tall and scary" who grows tombstones all in a row in her graveyard instead of silver bells.

Wee Willie Werewolf runs down the street,
Upstairs, downstairs, on his clawed feet.

But this Wee Willie is not growling at kids late to bed, but warning the monsters of the coming sunrise. It's all great fun for slightly scary holiday reading, with intricate illustrations in evocative blacks and purples by artist Roland Garrigue. This is a fine holiday treat for youngsters who like their monster rhymes with tongue in cheek, great for reading in bed or reading aloud. Says Publishers Weekly, "The poems may inspire kids to try their own spooky adaptations—-there are an unlucky 13 nursery rhymes here, and “Jack and Jill” is still up for grabs."

Pete the Cat Goes Crepuscular: Pete the Cat: Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star by James Dean

TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR!

Everyone knows that cats like to go out as twilight approaches, and Pete the Cat is no exception. With his trusty skateboard and guitar, he rolls out as the sun is setting to see what night has going on. It's getting pretty dark out there, with just that first star visible.

THEN THE TRAVELER IN THE DARK

THANKFUL FOR YOUR TINY SPARK...

To the words of that most venerable of nursery songs, Pete plays along with the lyrics, watching fireflies fly up as the stars pop out in the dark blue sky. Sunset and moonrise are good to see, but soon Pete rolls home, glad to see his mom in the lighted door, looking for him. There is dinner with family (peas on the plate), a sudsy bath with his yellow ducky, sailboat, and red rocket, bedtime hugs, and off to dreamland, where Pete's dreams have him boarding his toy red rocket and flying to a favorite star, "like a diamond in the sky," just in time for the end of the song.

For youngsters who haven't heard the whole of this old English nursery song, Pete's gentle introduction is a pleasant way to sing the whole song as they head for bed. Pete the Cat: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (Harper, 2014) is a sweet way to greet the stars that may twinkle at their windows "all the night."

Rainy Day Games: It's Raining, It's Pouring by Peter, Paul, and Mary

IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING.
THE OLD MAN IS SNORING.

HE WENT TO BED AND HE BUMPED HIS HEAD
AND HE COULDN'T GET UP IN THE MORNING.

Peter, Paul, and Mary's timeless performance of this old nursery rhyme and folk song, It's Raining, It's Pouring (Imagine Books, 2012), has long been a staple of their concerts, a sing-along audience participation song and a favorite of children who were there to join in.

The talented artist Christine Davenier has combined talents with co-writer Peter Yarrow to turn this popular song about rainy weather into a lively picture book which will introduce current children to this joyful musical experience. Davenier's illustrations are light-hearted, showing a family of kids making the best of a summer day inside when the rain won't go away--at least not right away. The kids play hide-and-seek, taking advantage of the rambling old two-story farmhouse and its many cubbyholes and cabinet hiding places, even hiding under the bed where Gramps is recovering and enjoying being included in the fun.

"85, 90, 95, 100!
HERE WE COME, READY OR NOT!"

The lyrics of the famous trio's song are woven into the game, along with other familiar rhymes, while women downstairs peel apples for a dinnertime pie and the kids enthusiastically pursue their game. Things take a happy turn when the sun suddenly breaks through the scattering clouds and the indoor game is quickly concluded.

"OLLY, OLLY, IN FREE!"

Davenier's art utilizes a pastel palette and a light touch of watercolors which make the rainy day seem sunny on its own, and an included Peter, Paul, and Mary CD offers musical accompaniment for the reading or a chance for family members of all ages, even grandpa, to be part of the happy hootenanny in her new It's Raining, It's Pouring.

Cat & Mouse by Ian Schoenherr

I love little kitty; her coat is so warm.
And if I don't hurt her, she'll do me no harm.

So I won't pull her tail, nor drive her away,
But kitty and I, very gently will play.

A jaunty, tiny-parasol-toting mouse has nothing but kind words for the cat of the house, as, tongue in cheek, he taunts and teases the long-suffering but secretly intrigued tabby as they play out the fabled narrative of cat and mouse.

To the measured cadence of "Hickory Dickory Dock," the mouse stays one step ahead of the cat until he is forced to zip up the pull chain of the cuckoo clock and take refuge inside the cuckoo's door. When the cat lays a claw on the clock, however, the mouse jumps free, using his paper umbrella as a parachute to the floor and makes a well-timed dash for his mouse hole in the wall. On a wordless double-page spread, we see the amused tabby playing with the left-behind parasol while the mouse peeps from the safety of his hole.

But the gray mouse still has a few tricks up his paw. Rolling an enticing ball of green yarn out of the mouse hole, he lures the cat into attacking it, rolling over and over with his prize as the mouse shrewdly reels the ball of yarn back toward his hideout.

I'll never vex her, nor make her displeased.
Kitty can't bear to be worried or teased.

When the cheeky mouse makes a lariat out of the free end of the yarn and deftly lassos the kitty's back toe, it appears that tabby is beginning to show a bit of measured vexation, as ears back, she lets out an exasperated meow. To make amends, Mouse slyly pats the kitty's toe, and the encounter ends, as it began, in a cat and mouse stalemate, to be continued, we presume, only as long as it takes for the tabby to finish her timely bowl of milk.

She'll sit by my side, and I'll give her some food,
And kitty will love me, because I am good.

Ian Schoenherr's illustrations for his latest, Cat & Mouse, are exquisitely done, imparting just the right touch of irony in juxtaposition with the old nursery rhyme's sweet counsel for kindly cat care, in a delightful reinterpretation of an old rhyme which will make it memorable for the youngest readers.