(4) K-3 Illustrated by Colin Jack. Familiar nursery rhymes are turned piratical in this Mother Goose adaptation. Readers will often need to be familiar with the original rhyme (whose title appears in parentheses under the pirate title) to get the rhythm and cadence right. The quality and scansion of the individual rhymes are uneven, but the best showcase cleverness and zany humor at just the right kid-level. Caricaturish illustrations add to the silliness.

Reviewer: Kari Allen