Hey Diddle Diddle/I Wish I Was Little

PreS-Gr 1—Each short story by Melissa Everett (Flowerpot) offers a fresh take on a few classic sing-song nursery rhymes. In Hey Diddle Diddle, the refrain hey diddle is repeated at the beginning of each rhyme, and it is accompanied by a purple bus-driving duck, a dancing hippo, a kite-flying refrigerator, and more nonsensical characters. This silly rhyme will keep readers giggling and asking for more. I Wish I Was Little pays homage to all the "little" nursery rhyme characters, including this Little Piggy, Little Boy Blue, and Mary's Little Lamb. Wee Willie Winkie decides that he can be happy if we sing a song about him, too. The title characters of Jack and Jill decide to trade in their tried-and-true hill for some new scenery, traveling to Brazil to see a beautiful city; to Paris, where they dance on the Eiffel Tower; and to China, where they see a never-ending wall. In Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling, Kate mashes food all over her plate; Jake makes a cake even though he doesn't know how to bake; and Bella pretends to be Cinderella with her best friend, Stella. Everett's illustrations are colorful but primarily static. Some sound effects accompany the tales, including piggy oinking, Little Boy Blue's horn blowing, and Mary's Little Lamb bleating.