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"Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed to see such a sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon."
Until this unique take on the well-known story, the tale has
always ended the same, but suddenly there is mayhem in
fairytale land when "They didn't come back!" as planned,
beginning the rhyme all over again. So cat, dog and cow are
off by the light of the silvery moon to discover the fate of
the dish and the spoon before all the beloved nighttime
stories are turned upside down. If this mystery isn’t sorted
out, who will ever be able to get a good night's sleep?
Thankfully, the confused trio runs into Fork, who "makes a
stab" at drawing a map, one that includes the homes of
Little Miss Muffet, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, the
Three Bears, the House That Jack Built and even Humpty
Dumpty's wall. Lurching from one possible hiding place to
the next, cat, dog and cow are soon frustrated, leaving
Little Boy Blue behind in hopes of better information from
Little Miss Muffet.
"With the blow of a horn and the cow in the corn,
the three headed off to the west-
the cranky ol' dog and the fiddlin' cat
and the cow who just wanted to rest."
The fearless trio even approaches the Big, Bad Wolf in their
quest. After many false leads the troop discovers their prey
in the most unimaginable place, as dish and spoon come
crashing into view, though a bit the worse for wear when
dish goes all to pieces.
The fanciful illustrations are energetic and humorous, tiny
faces charged with the intensity of the hunt for the rest of
their rhyme. With happy energy the thoughtful friends
traipse all over the Fork’s map, not content until reunited
with dish and spoon. This colorful romp teaches more than
one lesson as friends search for their missing pals: how to
read a (scribbled) map, how to assess the intentions of
others (like a hungry and devious Wolf!) and the importance
of asking for help from others. Now that these enchanting,
lifelike animals have intruded upon the kitchen, this
particular children's rhyme will never be the same!
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Luan Gaines/2005 for curled
up with a good kid's book |
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For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews,
visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)
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And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon