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The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense
“Dada is creating art with humor and absurdity to challenge what many people might think is right or normal.” Here a handful of European/English Mother Goose nursery rhymes are reimagined in the spirit of Dadaism. The six traditional rhymes are presented in their familiar iteration before a half dozen fresh and funny variations of each one. Humpty Dumpty‘s fate as a game of telephone translation, for example, and described in a postcard Humpty writes home from camp. “Jack Be Nimble” as a book report (“The main character in this nursery rhyme is Jack …”) and a multiple-choice quiz. “Old Mother Hubbard” with Jabberwocky, and as a comic strip. A “Hey Diddle Diddle” recipe and pop quiz. “Hickory Dickory Dock” in hieroglyphs and as a crossword. An anagram of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and a version with excessive similes (“Like a slice of cherry pie. Like a rug hung out to dry …”). With literary play, ciphers, codes, and more, this book in which silly humor abounds features illustrations that are an homage to the classic artwork of Blanche Fischer Wright, illustrator of The Real Mother Goose, with plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor added. Information about the various devices used, from Morse code to the military alphabet, are included at volume’s end along with more about Wright and Dadaism. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Julia Rothman
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 8 and older
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Poetry
Subjects:
Codes and Ciphers
Humor
Nursery Rhymes
Wordplay
Publisher:
Candlewick
Publish Year: 2022
Pages: 72
ISBN: 9780763694340
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 811 Scieszka