The Bells of London with a story in pictures by Ashley Wolff

 Ms. Wolff adds a story through her illustrations to a traditional British nursery rhyme. 

A young girl takes her dove into the city. As she and her father venture into London, they hear the peal of the different church bells. With much regret she sells her dove and then makes a choice that causes her and young boy (the buyer) to dash about London.

I wanted to know to know the backstory to the rhyme. But this book was published in 1984 when picture books did not include additional information.

The illustrations depict typical activities of Londoners during this time period. I did not appreciate two women's cleavage showing. It wasn't obnoxious. . .maybe a kid would not notice it?

-Borrowed from the library.

Maria Had a Little Llama by Angela Dominguez

A creative fractured nursery rhyme for Mary Had a Little Lamb.
The rhyme is written in English and Spanish.
Cute!
-Borrowed from the library.

Great Grandmother Goose by Helen Cooper

Ms. Cooper carefully researched medieval resources and other materials to compile rhymes from the Medieval time period.
Very interesting!
-Borrowed inter-library.

After the Fall by Dan Santat

How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again
Mr. Santat takes a deeper look into the psyche of Humpty Dumpty and how he resolves his fear of heights and conquers it.
A good book to read to someone who is trying to conquer a fear.
-Borrowed from the library.
 

Little Red Gliding Hood by Tara Lazar illustrated by Troy Cummings*

Little Red glides on the river to Grandmother's house every Sunday.  One big problem: her skates are worn out.  A solution presents itself . . ."A Pairs Skating Competition!  The prize-Brand-New Skates!"  Little Red, however, cannot find a partner to win the competition.  Sometimes solutions to our problems are not what we expect!
Loads of fairy tale/folk tale and nursery rhyme puns and allusions within the text and illustrations.
My boys and I had lots of fun discovering these references.
*Highly recommend.
Borrowed from the library.
Strategies: connections (T-T), predictions

Little Miss Muffet-Flip Side Rhymes by Christopher Harbo illustrated by Collin Jack

One side of the book shares the familiar nursery rhyme from Miss Muffet's point of view. Flip the book over, the spider tells his version.
Very simple text.
A  text to introduce point of view.
Other titles in the series: Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill and Little Bo Peep.
Borrowed from the library.

Thanksgiving at Our House by Wendy Watson

A family bustles about preparing for their Thanksgiving feast.  The preparations begin on Monday.
Interspersed are nursery rhymes and older rhymes that coincide with the activities.
Personally I thought this rhymes were a bit distracting and took away from the story.
I did not enjoy this book as much as the other Thanksgiving books we have been reading.

My Mother Goose by David McPhail*

"A Collection of Favorite Rhymes, Songs and Concepts"
This collection is more didactic than some other nursery rhyme anthology (rhyme about the months, two page spread about getting dressed, ABC pages, transportation pages, days of the week, counting to 10, action words, shapes, colors, ).
It is subtly organized and ends with night time poems and nursery rhymes.  The last poem is especially sweet (but I may be biased since I have two boys!!).
Warning: One poem is about a witch on Halloween.  Don't think babies need to learn about witches. . . then again some of the nursery rhymes are disturbing!

Favorite Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose illustrated by Scott Gustafson*

With a new nephew arriving in August, I am investigating newer baby books and nursery rhyme books.
With forty-five nursery rhymes, this collection will expose your child to the well know rhymes and some not so well known ones (at least to me!).  I do not recall ever reading Under a Hill or Bat, Bat or An Old Woman.
This over-sized book would be great to use during story time and the beautiful illustrations will capture any child's imagination.  Very expression illustrations.  Some scenes invite you to enter the sweet, ideal world (I wanted to run down the hill to Mary's school and explore the hills beyond in Mary Had a Little Lamb and in Under a Hill I wanted to sample the old woman's pies and chat with her.)
Children from different ethnic backgrounds are represented too.
*Highly recommend.

What Really Happened to Humpty? by Jeanie Franz Ransom illustrated by Stephen Axelsen*

Joe Dumpty, Humpty's brother, must prove by 5:00PM that his brother Dumpty's fall involved foul play.
Lots of word puns referring to eggs and references to fairy tale/folk tale creatures and nursery rhymes.
Strategies: inferring, connections (T-T), predicting
Pair with The Crown Affair by Jeanne Franz Ransom.
*Highly recommend.

The Crown Affair by Jeanie Franz Ransom illustrated by Stephen Axelsen*

"(from the files of a hard-boiled detective)"
This is book #2.  Book #1 is called What REALLY Happened to Humpty?
Joe Dumpty, Mother Gooseland's private investigator, has to recover the Jack Hill's crown before Gooseland's Games begins in a few hours.  Otherwise the games will be canceled.
Jack was wearing the crown as he and Jill walked up a hill to fetch a pail of water.  Then a gigantic boom resounded, causing Jack and Jill to tumble down the hill.  They both passed out and when they came to, Jack's crown was gone.  All Jill can remember is seeing a figure dash by them and all Jack Hill can say is, "Jack, Jack, Jack!".
With these sparse clues, Joe Dumpty will have be challenged to solve the case in time.  How manyJacks live in Mother Gooseland anyway??!?
Such a fun book!  Lots of word puns in references to eggs and egg cooking methods.  To appreciate the humor of this book, the reader needs to be familiar with fairy/folk tales and Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes.
It was a great opportunity to explain to my sons the different meanings the word "crown" can have.
Great book to introduce the mystery genre.
Loved the map of Mother Gooseland on the end pages.
***Highly, highly recommend (I have a fetish for fractured fairy/folk tales and nursery rhymes!!  See my bookshelf!!)
Strategies: word play, inferring, predicting, connections (T-T)

Detective Blue by Steve Metzger illustrated by Tedd Arnold*

Little Boy Blue has grown up and is now Detective Blue where he solves case in the city where nursery rhymes and folk tales abound.
In this case, Little Miss Muffet is missing.
Told via comic strip format.
The illustrations include lots of nursery rhymes.  For readers to fully appreciate the humor, they must know the traditional nursery rhymes and folk tales.
*Highly recommend.
Reading Level: L (2nd grade)
Grade Level Equivalency:  2.8

A Bean, a Stalk and a boy named Jack by William Joyce illustrated by Kenny Callicutt*

The story ingredients:
an ordinary boy and bean, a magician, a stinky pinky toe, a drought, and smallish giant boy named Don.
Mix together and have an unusual tale!
Some word play . .  . references to folk tales and nursery rhyme.
Ending is fun.
*Highly recommend.

Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg*

An "I spy" book where the reader finds a nursery rhyme character in the drawings.
Rhyming couplets.
Lovely illustrations.
Guided Reading Level: G
*Highly recommend.
Warning: has the wicked witch in it

The Tree House that Jack Built by Bonnie Verburg illustrated by Mark Teague

Written in the style "The House that Jack Built",  readers will love the illustrations of a tree house and the fun everyone has there.
My favorite aspect of the book was the illustrations.

Urgency Emergency! Itsy Bitsy Spider by Dosh Archer

The itsy bitsy spider arrives to the hospital in need of stitches.
Strategy: inferring, connections

Urgency Emergency! Big Bad Wolf by Dosh Archer

A new series for beginning/transitional readers that takes place in a hospital.  Doctor Glenda and Nurse Percy keep calm in the face of emergencies.
In this book, the Big Bad Wolf comes to the emergency room choking on something or someone . . . .
Strategies: predicting, inferring

Jon Scieszka's Trucktown Truckery Rhymes illustrated/layout by David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon*

Nursery Rhymes with trucks and other machinery.
Very clever.  Helps if the reader knows traditional nursery rhymes to get the humor.
Strategy: T-Tconnections
*highly recommend.

Red Green Blue A First Book of Colors by Alison Jay

On a gray, rainy day a boy experiences various nursery rhymes.  A color is represented in each nursery rhyme.  This is not a book that has the nursery rhymes written out word for word.  A couplet rhyme summarizes the main idea of each nursery rhyme.  The illustrations contain more nursery rhymes occurring in the background of each page.  Often the reader can predict by studying the illustrations which nursery rhyme will be on the next page.  At the end there is a page that reveals what nursery rhymes were included throughout the book.  I saw more rhymes that author/illustrator listed, though!  A very fun book for a variety of ages.