Nursery Rhyme Comics

I stumbled upon this book completely on accident while shelving another book...and boy, I'm glad I did!  I always enjoyed comics when I read them as a child, but never made much of an effort to seek them out.  Nursery Rhyme Comics (First Second, 2011), edited by Chris Duffy, features 50 nursery rhymes written as comics by 50 different cartoonists.  Each cartoonist incorporates their own individual style and twist on the comic, and while some are traditional, others give a cheeky look at what might otherwise be an old-fashioned nursery rhyme.  I had this book in my car while driving the 6 and 7 year old kids I babysit for after school, and they got quite a kick out of "Jack Be Nimble."  Jack questions why anyone would suggest that a kid jumps over a candle, and they laughed and laughed about the last picture...I'll let it speak for itself! :)

 

After the laughing subsided, Katie, the 8 year old, read "Three Little Kittens" with such sweet expression and enthusiasm.  She agreed to another reading when we got home so that I could record it as a voice memo. Here is Katie reading "Three Little Kittens."

This book is recommended for children aged 3 to 8, but I would extend that range because this book would be a great tool for comparing and contrasting different versions of the same story or nursery rhyme.  Older children could definitely enjoy the variety of cartoon styles telling such familiar stories.  There were some nursery rhymes included that I hadn't ever heard of before.  

Does anyone else have a great, non-traditional nursery rhyme book you'd like to recommend?