“Mary had a Hippogriff …”
This is a cute little book that re-imagines popular nursery rhymes with mythological monsters as the subjects. The rhymes are reasonably clever adaptations, although a few fell flat for me. It would have been nice to have a few more if possible (there are 14 in the book). The illustrations are wonderfully matched to the poems and are the true highlight of this collection.
Despite the format I wouldn’t really call it a children’s book, as it gets extremely dark at points (even by fairy tale standards). The appendix / bestiary is a fantastic touch, providing information on all the featured monsters to give context to the book and add a touch of educational / reference value.
I enjoyed Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes, even though the execution is a little hot or miss and I’m sure it’s quite right for its target demographic. Definitely worth a look for fairy tale / mythology buffs though.
Derailments of Thought 