MOTHER GOOSE'S WORDS OF WIT AND WISDOM Book of Months

A collection of Mother Goose rhymes centered around the months of the year

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- If ever a book had an identity crisis, this is it. More a craft book than a picture book, it appears to be primarily for cross-stitch workers and, in fact, is available in a special craft edition. Offering no new appreciation of or delight in traditional rhymes, the cross-stitch designs are two-dimensional and static, which is appropriate for needleworkers, but which lacks the vibrancy to attract young viewers. Linking the pages according to the months also fails, since many of the rhymes could appear at any time, and there is little color variation to indicate seasons. All of the stitching is done in what appears to be single-thread embroidery floss; in addition, the reproduction of the pages is such that the texture of the threads is almost lost. The endpapers confirm the purpose of the book, displaying photographs of the finished needlework. Even for sharing between an adult needleworker and a child, there is no feast for the eyes, no interpretation that excites the viewer. This has little to interest young children; the life of a cross-stitch design comes from its execution in cloth and, unfortunately, is not captured in this book. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.