POP! Goes the Nursery Rhyme

Secretary birds are large and in charge. This day, a secretary bird is narrating a set of nursery rhymes. She begins with the familiar “All around the mulberry bush, the donkey chased the weasel…” Everyone knows the end. “Pop goes the weasel!” Well, this little weasel is quite taken with himself and thinks he should show up in more nursery rhymes. It doesn’t matter if it’s “Mary had a little lamb” or “Roses are red, violets are blue” or “Patty-cake, patty-cake, baker’s man,” the pesky weasel pops up everywhere, ruining the secretary bird’s nice recitation. Secretary bird tells weasel off, begs weasel, cajoles weasel to stay out of the rhymes, and she tries one last rhyme. It seems to be going well, until…

Author Betsy Bird has imbued this book with a great sense of silliness and whimsy. She uses many very familiar nursery rhymes, ones that little listeners will certainly know, but the interrupting weasel will have those youngsters giggling all through the reading. That sense of silliness is carried through with the delightful illustrations by Andrea Tsurumi. Every page is filled with marvelous details that will help to keep youngsters engaged throughout.