The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense

The classic nursery rhymes we know and love—upside-down, backward, in gibberish, and fresh out of bounds—as only Jon Scieszka could stage them

Mother knows best, but sometimes a little nonsense wins the day. Inspired by Dadaism’s rejection of reason and rational thinking, and in cahoots with Blanche Fisher Wright’s The Real Mother Goose, this anthology of absurdity unravels the fabric of classic nursery rhymes and stitches them back together (or not quite together) in every clever way possible. One by one, cherished nursery rhymes—from “Humpty Dumpty” to “Hickory Dickory Dock,” “Jack Be Nimble” to “Mother Hubbard”—fall prey to sly subversion as master of fracture Jon Scieszka and acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman refashion them into comics strips, errant book reports, anagrams, and manic mash-ups. Playfully reconstructed, the thirty-six old-new rhymes invite further baloney, bringing kids in on the joke and inviting them to revel in reimagining. Featuring robust back matter, this irreverent take on the rhymes of childhood is a great gift for child readers, a rich classroom resource across grade levels, and a love song to a living language.

Jon Scieszka is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, illustrated by Lane Smith, as well as the Frank Einstein and the Time Warp Trio series and many other acclaimed and best-selling books for children. The first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and founder of Guys Read, Jon Scieszka lives in Brooklyn.

Julia Rothman is the creator of the best-selling illustrated Anatomy series and other books. Her witty illustrations have also appeared in newspapers, magazines, and more. Cofounder of Women Who Draw—an open directory of female professional illustrators, artists, and cartoonists—Julia Rothman lives in Brooklyn.