The People of the Town: Nursery-Rhyme Friends for You and Me

PreS—Twenty-six nursery rhymes spread out over the course of a day (noted only in the change in endpapers from pale morning light in the beginning to the periwinkle blue haze of dusk and its early stars) introduce a cast of mostly white characters familiar and new to young readers. Ranging widely in tone and length (from the four-lined "A Crooked Man" to all five verses of "Little Bo-Peep"), the rhymes explore the loose theme of "nursery rhyme friends for you and me." The illustrations are the strongest element of this title, with delicate detail and a hazy hint of time-gone-by found in the ink, pencil, and watercolor washes. Characters from eras past appear, as evidenced by the clothing and housing details. A few of the illustrations feature people of color, but they are in the minority here. The book is paginated, and a "The People You'll Meet" table of contents allows readers to flip back and forth to find the title of each rhyme.