ReaditDaddy's Book of the Week - Week Ending 5th July 2013 - "Mixed Up Nursery Rhymes" by Hilary Robinson and Liz Pichon (Hodder Children's Books)

This week's book of the week hasn't left Charlotte's side since it arrived. There are lots of reasons for this:

1) It's a book she can happily read herself, all the way through, with no problem at all
2) It's silly and funny
3) It's a great book for learning lots of different nursery rhymes, then subverting them all by mixing them up (you got that from the title though, right?)

Hilary Robinson and Liz Pichon have built on the success of Hilary's previous 'mix up' book (with Nick Sharratt), "Mixed Up Fairy Tales" with more chaotic mash-ups featuring children's best loved nursery rhymes (but where oh where is Humpty Dumpty?)

Doctor Foster running up a hill to fetch a...plum? Wee Willie Winkie baking some tarts, stolen away by...a garden? There are hundreds of combinations you could come up with as you mix the start, middle and end of adapted versions of the rhymes (something that my wife didn't particularly like, but helpfully all the nursery rhymes are reproduced in their original forms in the inside covers of the book).

Charlotte has the Mixed Up Fairy Tales book at school and it's a classroom favourite. Having her own copy of this though has made her ridiculously happy and her infectious giggling (and her constantly showing us new combinations she's come up with) makes it a worthy and fun book of the week.

Charlotte's best bit: Old Mother Hubbard going to Gloucester, stepping in a...Pony?

Daddy's favourite bit: Initially I thought this book might be a bit 'young' for Charlotte, but the fact that she gets such a huge giggle out of it AND can read the easy-to-read text on her own is a huge bonus. Love Liz's artwork too.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Hodder Children's Books)