Three Jovial Huntsmen: A Mother Goose Rhyme

Susan Jeffers retells the Mother Goose rhyme, “Three Jovial Huntsmen” with illustrations that coordinate with the disagreeing perspectives of the huntsmen. One page makes the hill look like a ship, while on the next page it looks more like a house. This gives the story a more peaceful, contemplative tone than it might otherwise have with the constant bickering. The pen and ink sketches with light neutral colors give the atmosphere of a misty, early autumn morning.

A Caldecott 1973 honor book, this is a short, and delightful book filled with lovely illustrations. When three men go into the woods, they seem more intent on discussing what they cannot find rather than what is all around them.

A clever take on an old rhyme, the illustrations are the best part of this story. I read this to the kids as a bedtime story, and even the oldest ones were picking out the animals on the pages. My only complaint was that it was so short, but it did stay true to the tale.

Rhymes and jingles that have flow and a story are better suited for my liking. I find it much more enjoyable and engaging when the rhymes are more than just one, two, or three versus. The rhymes have a sense of unity and place throughout the book/story. A funny story where the three hunters are unable to spot their game (even thought they are surrounded by them) only to spot a sail ship amongst other random things. This story alone would be dull and not interesting at all. The illustrations bring this story and book to life. The story needs the illustrations as the pictures are full of hidden animals throughout the pages where the hunters just seem not to notice them. The illustrations have a feel of reality and dream like qualities, a show more great blend of two spectrums.
Ages 5 - 7. show less

Jeffers, Susan. Three jovial huntsmen. (1973). New York: Aladdin Books.

Three adult huntsmen go hunting in the woods but find nothing. They do see things like rocks and the moon, but they can’t agree on what they are. They also see a hedgehog and a hare, but they leave them behind while they good-naturedly disagree about what these animals are. In the rock in the woods one huntsman sees a sailing ship, one says it’s not, and the last says it’s a house. Finally, they go home, while the animals in the forest, who have been standing unseen nearby them all day, watch them leave.

The illustrations are in softly muted colors and fine detail. The representational drawings add to the story by showing not only the things the huntsmen see, show more but by also showing what they don’t notice. The illustrations show that the huntsmen don’t see their dog finding and running to the animals, and that they don’t see all the animals that are right under their nose. They’re having a good enough time talking about what they do see that they don’t seem to mind not finding anything to hunt. The Mother Goose rhyme has much more meaning when coupled with the illustrations in this book. The illustrations show what the huntsmen miss more clearly than the text alone does.

Comparison to Hickory Dickory Dock

Three Jovial Huntsmen’s gentle and fairly subtle humor may be lost on very young children. It is more appealing to slightly older young children. The illustrations are more representational and more detailed than the illustrations in Hickory Dickory dock. show less

Three huntsmen make silly mistakes and do silly things. Love the pictures and story.

Before you read the book talk about mother goose and what a nursery rhyme is. Ask the students what they noticed about the book and the hunters. Did they ever hunt anything?