Miss Muffet is bored: bored of curds and whey, bored of the scary spider, bored of being in the same old nursery rhyme. So what does she do? She goes off to find another rhyme to try, of course! She tries out “The Grand Old Duke of York”, but doesn’t like all the marching (and she completely messes up the rhythm of the rhyme). Jumping into “Hey Diddle Diddle” is treacherous, as she greatly angers the dish when she tries to run away with the spoon herself. She feels completely silly climbing up a clock in “Hickory Dickory Dock”. Soon, the entire nursery rhyme world is in chaos. Whatever will Miss Muffet do? Melanie Williamson’s bright, silly, stylized illustrations create just the right chaotic tone. Reciting nursery rhymes is a great way to reinforce phonological skills (the ability to hear the little sounds that make up words, including rhyming sounds). Little listeners can help the reader with the rhymes, and perhaps play at inserting Miss Muffet into other rhymes not in the story. “Mary had a little Miss Muffet, its fleece was white as snow…?” While the ending is a little abrupt and unsatisfying, this is, overall, a delightfully creative story.
Conway, David. The Great Nursery Rhyme Disaster. Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales, 2009. ISBN: 9781589250802
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