I am back, readers! Today, I want to speak up on behalf of traditional nursery rhymes and fairy tales. I grant that there are some stories that are rather violent for young folk. I'm not one for reading Grimm tales straight to my daughter. However, having heard some of the general cannon not only leads to a sense of commonality, but it opens the doors for kids to enjoy fractured fairy tales. (It is sort of like grammar, you only notice the broken rules if you've learned what the rules are. In this case, though, the results are funny).
So, here a couple of spoofs of traditional nursery rhymes and fairy tales that have amused both me and my daughter recently:
Detective Blue by Steve Metzger/ Illustrated by Tedd Arnold: So, Little Boy Blue grows up to become a detective who seeks the missing Little Miss Muffet. The cartoon style book give many opportunities for character voices. The detective-style tale is adorable, and there are a multitude of funny details in the illustrations that make this a wonderful choice for re-reads.
Dragon Pizzeria by Mary Morgan: D asked for this one several nights in a row. Two dragons work together. One makes the pizzas while saying nursery-rhyme knock-offs. The other delivers the pizzas all over fairytale land. Fairy tale characters order each pizza to specifications that match their story's situation. The biggest treat for us was probably the map at the end that included everyone from the book.
