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Summary
Summary
An original take on some favorite nursery rhymes - this is one search for a new house that's bound to be more pleasure than trouble. There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children, she didn't know what to do. She gave them some broth without any bread, Then took them to live in a new home instead. Too messy, too woolly, too noisy, too small. Whether it's Humpty Dumpty's wall or Mother Hubbard's cupboard, the old woman (who once lived in a shoe) and her children (who once lived there, too) just can't seem to find a new home big enough for their growing needs. So where will they turn for a cozy night's rest? The perfect place is only a step away - no moving van required!
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-In their search for new housing, the old woman who lived in a shoe and her multicultural cast of children visit many recognizable nursery rhymes. Audiences will enjoy identifying the many rhyming Mother Goose references, including a visit with Little Jack Horner, a stop on a hickory-dickory clock, and a spin in Miss Muffet's teacup. Finally, after many silly mishaps and adventures, the children land in the boot of the Grand Duke of York, and find it lacking. At this point the old woman, who "had grown much more patient and wise," declares, "`If the shoe fits, then wear it'-.And she led them right back where this story began." Although some segments are less satisfying than others as they stretch to fit the theme, Jackson's deft touch for humor carries the audience's interest through the story. Firehammer's pastel-colored, acrylic-on-illustration-board pictures are lively and funny, just the right touch for this brief jaunt through children's literature.-Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Young ones who have mastered their nursery rhymes will get a hoot out of Jackson's (I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Pie) gentle humor and the old woman who lives in a shoe (who delivers the punch line). When she decides to seek a new home for her brood, the old woman visits a succession of familiar places. Firehammer's (The Flea's Sneeze) pleasant illustrations portray the wee family escaping along Humpty Dumpty's wall, fleeing from 24 blackbirds, being squeezed out of the suit of the Grand Duke of York and frightening Little Miss Muffett in place of the spider (after her entourage settles into a warm woolen coat, the narrative reads, "When Little Jack Horner stopped in for some pie,/ She decided to give a new haven a try"). The soft-edged acrylic paintings feature a pastel palette, a cast of multicultural, doll-like children with their family dog and cat and plenty of action. Youngsters will likely embrace the chance to identify these characters and their well-known rhymes. The old woman eventually settles her huge family back into their original shoe house, and says, "If the shoe fits, then wear it," thus providing a fitting conclusion. Ages 2-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
The old woman who lives in a shoe takes her large family to a succession of other dwellings, such as a jar in Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard, and Little Miss Muffet's teacup. Each new place proves uninhabitable, so they return to make do with their shoe. The nursery rhyme characters add interest to this silly rhyming story, and the family's movement across the illustrations encourages page turning. From HORN BOOK Spring 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The hunt for the perfect abode is the premise for this romp through the world of nursery rhymes. The little old woman and her many children are definitely feeling the pinch in the toe of the shoe they live in. From Little Jack Horner's coat and Miss Muffet's teacup, to a sock hanging from a grandfather clock and a tub, the family attempts to find a home that will accommodate their number-a place that is stationary, not too loud, not too small, and not already occupied. As they quickly discover, this is not too easy to find in Mother Goose's world. Old Mother Hubbard snatches their glass jar and puts it in her cupboard, and the demise of an egg brings all the king's horses and men to one of their trial homes. Finally, as the family is literally squeezed out of a vest pocket and shot into a boot, they realize that their old home was more spacious than this one. "If the shoe fits, then wear it." So, "She gave them some broth and kissed all their faces, / Then tucked them in bed and tied up the laces." Jackson (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, not reviewed, etc.) retains the rhyming pattern of The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe throughout the family's adventures, providing stability to their leaps around the various tales. Young readers will delight in identifying the many different nursery rhymes, and the author/illustrator team has given just enough clues for them to be able to do this with ease. Firehammer's (The Flea's Sneeze, 2000) characters have charmingly simple faces, round cheeks, and stubby bodies. Pastel colors and barely hidden details fit the realm of nursery rhyme books perfectly. (Picture book. 3-7)
Booklist Review
Ages 2-6. "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe" begins this clever story along the lines of the Ahlbergs' Jolly Postman books. Because her shoes seem too tight, the old woman decides to look for a new place to live. She packs up her children and heads off to various locations, many of which will be familiar to children exposed to nursery rhymes. First, the family relocates to a hat worn by the cat of "cat and the fiddle" fame, then to a woolen coat worn by Little Jack Horner, and to a sock hung from a clock (though they are scared away when a "hickory-dickory mouse" scurries by). On and on they move--until they end up back in the shoe. After such a long day, the little old woman finally tucks her children in bed and ties up the laces. Firehammer's acrylic illustrations portray an exciting world through which the miniature family journeys at a brisk pace perfect for energetic toddlers and preschoolers. --Kathy Broderick