Pistes d'exploration

As a class, take note of how the rhyme changes when Miss Muffet is introduced. Recite the rhymes in their original form and compare them. Which do you prefer?

Find the rhyming pairs and record them on a chart.

Write a rhyme about yourself, using one from the book as a model.

Find the original versions of the nursery rhymes and notice where the changes were made. Create your own version of a nursery rhyme. 

Practise reciting the original rhymes out loud. Use rhythm, intonation and emotion. Hold a rhyme festival.

Using a regular nursery rhyme anthology as a reference, find a rhyme in which Little Miss Muffet would be content. Explain your choice in a journal entry.

Mother Goose Remembers, Little Jack Horner, Live From the Corner

Mots-clés

Humour , Nursery rhymes , Picture book , characters in nursery rhymes , Little Miss Muffet , non-traditional text layout

Commentaire descriptif

Author David Conway imagines what would happen if several nursery rhymes were merged into one. His main protagonist, Little Miss Muffet, is bored being in the same old nursery rhyme and having to deal with a spider that scares her, so she wanders into other rhymes to find one that suits her. What she discovers, however, is that each rhyme comes with its own troubles and complications. When she joins Jack and Jill, she finds it too painful tumbling down the hill; when she runs away with the spoon, the plate gets upset that his role has been usurped. Soon, all the characters begin to fall onto each other’s pages and chaos ensues. The author introduces the idea of retelling familiar stories and invites the reader to imagine different story endings and motives for the characters. The nursery rhyme text is shown in different fonts and is framed in boxes or on banners, to differentiate it from the text that is telling the story. The illustrations are busy, filled with many details to bring to life the bedlam that has been unleashed by Miss Muffet. Close-ups of the faces of the characters show wonderful expressions. The tone is light and playful, and will encourage children to re-imagine stories in new ways.