cover image Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes by 50 Celebrated Cartoonists

Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes by 50 Celebrated Cartoonists

Edited by Chris Duffy, intro. by Leonard S. Marcus. Roaring Brook/First Second, $18.99 (128p) ISBN 978-1-59643-600-8

In this easy-to-read and fun to read aloud collection, classic nursery rhymes get a contemporary spin from artists as varied as the New Yorker's Roz Chast and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. Each miniature story is beautifully colored, making each two-page spread a visual treat, and the traditional panel form of comics and graphic novels merge easily with the syncopated beats of the familiar rhymes. The interpretations of the nursery songs range from literal%E2%80%94such as Lilli Carr%C3%A9's "Sing a Song of Sixpence" to the slightly wacky. In Dave Roman's "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe," the numbers in the title refer to tiny clones created by a wizard inventor, with the help of gadgets like the Clone Master 3000 and the Mega Incubator. And any preconceived notions you have about old women living in footwear should be abandoned before reading Lucy Kinsley's delightfully original "There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe." Instead of a crotchety crone, the titular woman lives in a funky boot and runs Ruth's Rock & Rock Babysitting. Every panel explodes with enough rich detail to keep attention glued to the page. Ages 3%E2%80%93up. (Aug.)