Oleg Lipchenko

Commonly known nursery rhymes along with rare rhymes were selected by Oleg Lipchenko. Lipchenko supports these rhymes with beautiful and surreal illustrations that create an eerie and magical tone for the book. Many rhymes in this book have a great beat, which may encourage children to clap or stamp their feet along with each tale. Personally, I realized that many of the nursery rhymes that I enjoyed as a kid are little more gruesome than I had remembered. I was a little uncomfortable to read about how the little old lady who lived in a shoe whips her children before they go to sleep. I would recommend this book to parents for bedtime stories, though I would caution parents to read through it first to make sure that they are comfortable with some of the darker sides of these rhymes.… (more)

5Q – this is an absolutely beautiful work of art!
3P – I think that the art appeals to a far different level than the rhymes, and this may render the book less popular with either rhyme seekers finding art or art seekers finding rhyme.
Lots of favorite Mother Goose rhymes and a few not-so-well-known ones. like Snail, Snail and The Lion and the Unicorn. Lipchenko’s mixed media illustrations beautifully convey mood and character and advance the plots of the rhymes well, but this will be a better book for preschoolers than toddlers. The illustrations are highly (and wonderfully) detailed, somewhat surreal, and a bit dark in tone (possibly even spooky to a very young child). Lipchenko also created an award-winning set of illustrations for Alice In Wonderland, where his mood and dense illustrations fit perfectly.
? – Is a book of lovely old-fashioned rhymes always for the child?
? – what are some ways to bridge the interests of young children as audience and adults as readers?
? – How to respond when a child is afraid of a book?… (more)