    | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 02/01/2015 PreS-Gr 2—Originally published in Great Britain, this collection includes 150 nursery rhymes—many of them familiar—from 23 countries and cultures, accompanied by color illustrations created by 76 artists, many well known, in a wide variety of styles and mediums: photos, soft watercolor scenes, hand-colored prints, comic strips and cartoons, collage, realistic paintings, and more. Several pages of rhymes are handwritten—some in childlike printing or cursive, others in flowing calligraphy. Jump rope rhymes, riddle rhymes, counting and clapping rhymes, finger games, songs, lullabies, and nonsense rhymes are included. In her two-page introduction, collector Hammill refers to nursery rhymes as "tiny masterpieces of verse" that "have outlasted their origins as street cries, folk songs, political satire, remnants of custom and proverb and have been polished into perfect form over time." Although all of the poems are in English, regional spelling has been used in some poems, such as the Jamaican verse, "Dis lickle pig go a markit,/Dis lickle pig tan a yaad." Appended are an "Index of First Lines," some brief information about each of the artists, and a listing of sources. Four "Contents" pages list poems and artists in order of appearance. The English versions of many familiar poems differ somewhat from the American wording. VERDICT This artistically appealing compilation will delight both children and adults and might be useful in elementary writing projects.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 04/15/2015 First published in Great Britain, this beautifully designed large-format compendium offers 150 nursery rhymes from around the world. Though most are traditional English rhymes, other selections represent Anglo-American, African American, Australian, Chinese American, Chippewa, Irish, Jamaican, Latino, Scottish, and Welsh lore. Each of the 77 featured artists contributes a page or, more often, a double-page spread illustrating one or more rhymes. From the many well-known illustrators (Carle, Graham, Hughes, Ingpen, Kitamura, Klassen, Lynch, Pinkney, Raschka, Ray, Tan, Willems, Young) to the relatively unknown artists (three winners of a competition for art students), they use different approaches, styles, and media. On one spread, Alan Lee’s large painting illustrates six short rhymes related to rain. On another, Marcia Williams’ artwork for “Old Mother Hubbard” appears in 13 cartoon-style panels. A paragraph of information on each artist appears in the back matter, along with notes on sources and an index of first lines, a welcome addition to any large anthology of verse. This bountiful collection of colorfully illustrated nursery rhymes showcases both the verse and artists. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. Loading...
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