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
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