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NURSERY RHYME COMICS: 50 TIMELESS RHYMES FROM 50 CELEBRATED CARTOONISTS!

Humpty Dumpty and others
Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Duffy, ed.
Author's First Name: 
Chris
Illustrator's Last Name: 
Various
Publisher: 
First Second
Publication Date: 
2011
2013 Nomination (not yet selected): 

This lively compilation of 50 nursery rhymes each interpreted and illustrated by a cartoonist or graphic artist, and introduced by Leonard Marcus, offers a new way to look at familiar rhymes and a demonstration of the varieties of graphic art done for kids and adults today. From Roz Chast from the New Yorker to Nick Bruel (Bad Kitty), Gene Yang, Mark Siegel, many names are familiar but a few are quite new. Sometimes the story is shown straight (Mary Had a Little Lamb), and sometimes there is an additional element or twist provided by the pictures (Baa-Baa Black Sheep, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe). Always, the rhyme is written out in a font that shows that these are the original words - making this a good book for early readers as well as for older readers who would otherwise be beyond this. Seven to Ten

A veritable who's who of contemporary comic book artists put their own spin on traditional rhymes. Varying styles and surprising interpretations serve as an introduction to cartooning and a springboard to further adventures.

Comments

aklause's picture

Graphic novel artists meet

by aklause - 12/07/2011 - 7:49pm
Graphic novel artists meet nursery rhymes. A great introduction to graphic stories and their creators. The list of illustrators in the back is very useful--a veritable who's who of current creators in both the children's and adult field. (Something to look forward to, kids!) I really enjoyed the original twists that many of the illustrators gave to their rhyme--like the old women who lived in the shoe is an aging rocker. I found the contents exciting and varied. Negative: That introduction should have been an afterword because it gets in the way of the audience. Did the publisher feel the need to rationalize the existence of the collection? I shouldn't have thought so.

Meeting Notes for November

by ladamson - 11/22/2011 - 10:50pm

Meeting Notes for November 18

Positive Comments:

  • The different approaches to the nursery rhymes make the book fun to read.
  • The book’s cleverness comes from the pictures rather than from changing words in the rhymes.

Observations:

  • Any good books in the schools with nursery rhymes will help children who not familiar with the verses.
  • The illustrations resemble those in a graphic novel.

Concerns:

  • The adult-centered beginning and ending may curtail the book’s appeal to children.