The Little Dog Laughed

By Lucy Cousins

Book Overview

A collection of nursery rhymes, including "Ride a Cock Horse," "Jack and Jill," "Old King Cole," and "Wee Willie Winkie." This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525445730
• ISBN13: 9780525445739
• Release Date: March 1990
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 20.0" x 20.0" x 20.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 6 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 1

Customer Reviews

...and marched them down again

British illustrator Lucy Cousins has put her pen and inks to work on all the classic nursery rhymes. Drawing on everything from "The eensy, weensy spider" to "The lion and the unicorn", this is an excellent introduction to many a rhyme. Accompanying the classic texts (and it is important to note that she has used the versions best known) are Cousins's own brightly construed creations. The effect is both slapdash and carefully thought out. For all that Lucy Cousins is British, this collection of nursery rhymes has a distinctively American tone and flavor to it. Certainly the poems listed here all originated in Europe. No question. But just consider the fate of the poem "Ladybird ladybird fly away home". Now we're hearing about a ladybug. Were these words changed for the U.S. edition of the title? On the other hand, it's a huge relief to be reading nursery rhymes in their original violent states. There's nothing worse than a watered down version of Goosey Goosey Gander or the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. Nope. Now there's whippings and plenty of old men thrown down stairs. Don't think I advocate whippings and the throwing of geriatrics, but isn't it nice to read the nursery rhymes you remember as a kid yourself? And you turned out okay, didn't you? Just a thought.The pictures are broad colorful concoctions. Lots of bright colors and thick black lines. I wouldn't go searching for delicate linework in this book. The drawings are rather childlike in and of themselves, possibly inspiring the youngsters to draw some nursery rhymes of their own. The pictures are nicely multi-ethnic too. If you'll note the King's Men in the Humpty Dumpty rhyme, you'll see what I mean (though I do worry about a few of those eyeless soldiers). On the whole, this is a great book. Fun and jumpity. Pretty and bright. It's not my favorite version of these rhymes (hats off to Arnold Lobel for that honor) but it deserves an honorary spot on every child's shelf. Lucy Cousins, I tip my hat to you.