Review by Booklist Review
In this sequel to Good Night, Sleep Tight (2013), Skinny Doug takes his young friends Bonnie and Ben out for a walk. He challenges them to recall nursery rhymes as they stroll along and rejoices every time they do. Seeing a hill, they recite Jack and Jill, while in boxed pictures, the characters act out the story. Skinny Doug says, I love it, I love it! / Well done, and hurrah! / Can you tell me another? / How clever you are! Each time the children recite another, Doug responds with the same refrain, and more characters join their procession until they reach the children's home in time for bed. Never one to underestimate the power of nursery rhymes, Fox places the traditional verses within a contemporary story written in rhymed couplets. The classics are showcased while the contemporary story celebrates them within a playful context. The illustrations feature simple, pleasing ink drawings, brightened with cheerful watercolors. Fun for reading aloud to kids who know Mother Goose and those who haven't yet had the pleasure.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K--Siblings Bonnie and Ben love to rhyme. Out on a walk with friend "Skinny Doug," each thing they encounter inspires a new nursery rhyme. The characters from that rhyme then follow the trio into the next watercolor-and-ink spread. Doug encourages them to rhyme on with a repetitive refrain and soon a long line of characters trails behind them. After seeing roses brings on a game of Ring Around the Rosie, Bonnie and Ben rhyme their way home and into bed. Young readers who know their rhymes will have fun using the clues to guess what nursery rhyme comes next. Horacek has illustrated Fox's work before. Her engaging ink-and-watercolor cartoon rendition of Little Bo Peep's sheep might look a little familiar--especially the green one! VERDICT Lighthearted fun for nursery rhyme--themed storytimes and one-on-one sharing.--Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Siblings Bonnie and Ben show off the numerous nursery rhymes they know while they walk with friend and mentor Skinny Doug.When they reach a familiar hill, they launch into "Jack and Jill." The sight of a couple of sheep ahead prompts a recital of "Little Bo Peep." A plum tree they happen upon brings on "Little Jack Horner." And a hairy black spider hanging from a lamppost elicits "Little Miss Muffet." After the stars come out on their return home, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" precedes their going to bed, all rhymed out. Fox and Horacek previously teamed up for the effervescent Where is the Green Sheep (2004) and do so again to create a delightful narrative anchored by a repeated rhymed refrain. Between each traditional verse Skinny Doug exclaims: "I love it, I love it! / Well done, and hurrah! / Can you tell me another? / How clever you are!" (This will read as assonance in most parts of the U.S. but is likely a perfect rhyme in Fox's native Australia.) The colorfully stylized cartoon artwork, familiar from the duo's previous work, gives this jaunty, rambunctious outing extra flair as the nursery characters, painted in an array of skin hues, join in to trail Bonnie, Ben, and Skinny Doug (all white-presenting).Fox's inimitable rhyming text and Horacek's buoyant illustrations offer youngsters another winning choice. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
