Over the Moon

Hiram Diddle Diddle and a violin-playing cat encourage a cow to keep jumping until she makes it over the moon

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Although this picture book opens with the traditional text-"Hi Diddle Diddle,/The cat and the fiddle,/The cow jumped over the moon"-readers will quickly see that this presentation takes an offbeat but clever new approach. A theater stage provides the setting, where the director, a beret-wearing monkey named Hiram (or Hi) Diddle Diddle, attempts to coax a recalcitrant Cow into following his script and jumping over the moon. Cow leaps under, next to, and through the moon, the fiddle-playing Cat demands his moment in the spotlight, and a dachshund kibitzes from the sidelines, providing much frustration for Hi. At last, however, the deed is done (although Hi finds himself unceremoniously squashed under the Cow), the dog has a good laugh, and everyone follows a dish and spoon out the door for a bite to eat. Nash plays off Vail's humor: his caricatured animals have sly expressions and spry movements, accomplished through minimum but well-placed gauzy lines and soft colors. Dialogue balloons provide most of the text, making this quick-moving tale fun to share aloud. While some readers may find this a one-time joke, librarians and teachers looking for variants of traditional lore will welcome this takeoff and may gather other nursery rhymes and encourage children to write their own variations.
Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In her picture book debut, Vail (Wonder) delivers a hilarious and exuberant twist on a classic nursery rhyme. A lovely, ever-so-hefty cow takes center stage?literally?as a monkey named Hiram Diddle Diddle (Hi for short) directs her in a stage production of his rhyme. In a series of comical scenes, the cow makes several attempts to jump over a moon suspended above the stage, but instead she jumps under, beside and through it. Just before the excitable Mr. Diddle Diddle blows a gasket, the cow pulls off the perfect performance. Vail's inventive text takes the form of clever quips (as when the cow tells the director, "Gimme another shot. I think I know what you're looking for") displayed in bold hand-lettering within black-and-white talk bubbles. Amid all the zaniness, she presents a solid lesson on prepositions as well. Nash's (Oh, Tucker!) crisp watercolors play a crucial supporting role here. His memorable animal actors (including the cool fiddle-playing cat, decked out in a black turtleneck, and the little laughing dachshund) remain fresh and funny, take after take, and their variety of facial expressions makes them all the more entertaining. Encore! Encore! Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5^-7. In her picture-book debut, Vail changes the familiar "Hey Diddle Diddle" to "Hi Diddle Diddle" to introduce a creative monkey director, Hiram Diddle Diddle. "Hi" is putting the familiar nursery rhyme on stage, but the cow just can't seem to get things right. It jumps under, next to, through, and anywhere but over the moon. After Hi has a few theatrical tantrums, the cow learns how to take direction and jumps just right. The sleek book design and Nash's stylized characters--the beret-wearing director, a fiddle-playing hepcat--are quirky, cool, and fun. But the illustrations aren't clear enough for children who may be learning the concepts of over and under; in many scenes it's just too hard to tell exactly where the cow is in relation to the moon. And although Vail's wry lampoon of theater folk will amuse adults, it will probably leave some children in the dark. Kathleen Squires