This book offers familiar nursery rhymes with some words exchanged with pictures, better known as a rebus. The illustrations are marvelously pleasant in color and design; they are friendly and familiar. Each page is a work of art. The text is large, easy to read with pictures for some of the nouns; this helps the pre and early readers enjoy following along with the rhyme. Other words are also labeled in the illustrations.

MOTHER GOOSE PICTURE PUZZLES is a rebus book. And because I have always loved rebus books --since I was a wee child-- I'm really happy with this edition of MG's rhymes.

Will Hillenbrand's artwork is perfect. His colors are bright and cheerful, and the style he chose has a good old-fashioned vibe to it that is very appealing.

One thing that I didn't fully appreciate as a child, but which I do now, is that the rebus format helps children prepare to read. It provides young children with an opportunity to get clues from images on the page, and it gets them in the habit of following words from left to right, top to bottom, as you move your finger. And, of course, there's the memorization practice as children recall which words are missing.

Just a fun, pretty, and useful book.

Recommend.

Pam
((sample pages and more, on site)) ( )

Characters: Various characters that aim to teach children about manners and civility.
Setting: The backdrop for all these stories/nursery rhymes seems to be country/pastoral settings.
Theme: recurring/ fragmented themes of life and resolutions
Genre: Fairy tales/nursery rhymes
Summary: This is a book of riddles and nursery rhymes about various events in life and others are make-believe. Some include humorous stories about a fallen egg and others are more realistic. They include Simple Simon and a suspicious pie transaction.
Audience: 0-12 months/Beginners
Curriculum ties: Teaches lesson about decorum and decency, which could be useful in the development of social skills.
Personal response: The book is very limited and does not do a good job in connecting children. The stories and rhymes are timeless but they have lost some of their allure when placed against some of the current children literature available for the children in the 21st century. ( )

Traditional Mother Goose Rhymes with pictures replacing several words in each poem. Very good for very early pre-readers. ( )