Rating: 
Summary: The Rest of the Story
Review: This delightful twist on the familiar nursery rhyme gives us "the rest of the story" by telling what Cow, Dog, and Cat must do to rescue a missing Dish and Spoon. The witty text includes frequent word plays-one of the characters is the Fork in the road (dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses), and Dog complains that she's "dog-tired." The story is also replete with references to other nursery rhymes-in the climax a Giant chases Dish and Spoon down a beanstalk and a quick and nimble repairman named Jack mends the broken plate. The static characters of the nursery rhyme are reinterpreted in this story so that Dog, Cow, and Cat display full personalities as they work together to deal with Dish and Spoon's disappearance. Cat is the leader taking charge; Cow is a mellow, but lazy, tag-along, and Dog is a somewhat sarcastic pessimist whose true colors come shining through when she comes to the rescue with the Dish's missing piece. Every so often the narrative is interrupted with a rhyme that sets the stage for the next part of the adventure. For example, as the characters set off on their search the rhyme reads, "So, off went the three with a hey diddle dee by the light of the silvery moon-the cat with his fiddle, the cow, and the dog, to bring back the dish and the spoon." These rhymes are set in a larger typeface than the rest of the text and are arranged in a square around illustrations at the center of the page, enhancing the feeling of movement as the characters travel along.
This clever and unexpected story with its soft, yet colorful and active illustrations should draw the attention of both adults and children alike, reminding them that there's more to every story than we may at first realize.
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