Humpty Dumpty - Softcover

Daniel Kirk is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Trash Trucks and Moondogs (both Putnam) and Skateboard Monsters (Puffin). He lives in New Jersey. copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.
Daniel Kirk is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Trash Trucks and Moondogs (both Putnam) and Skateboard Monsters (Puffin). He lives in New Jersey. copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

PreSchool-Grade 1-Kirk uses the familiar bouncy rhymes of "Humpty Dumpty" to spin out a tale of an unlikely friendship. When young Humpty's mother reluctantly agrees to let him go to King Moe's birthday parade ("but be careful, OK?/I don't want my egg getting/scrambled today!"), the excited little egg climbs up on his friends' backs, then a lamppost, and finally a brick wall to get a better view. This last climb leads to his famously disastrous fall. Fortunately, he topples directly into the young king's carriage. All the king's horses and all the king's men can't put Humpty together again-but fortunately the shy, puzzle-loving Moe can. He admires Humpty's bravery, Humpty admires the king's patience and intelligence, and a new friendship is born. Though the story itself is mediocre, Kirk's bouncing rhymes never falter. The real star, though, is the artwork: a combination of oils, magazine clippings, and computer printouts that gives the pictures a busy, textured look. Crowd scenes are made up of painted images, pictures from magazines, and faces from classic works of art. The hyperrealistic quality of Kirk's earlier books is apparent here, as is his offbeat sense of humor. A winsome, if simple, variation on a favorite rhyme.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.