Miss Mary Mack

From Publishers Weekly
Miss Mary Mack, adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman and illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott, will have young ones singing along as they watch Mary Mack befriend the elephant and place her "silver buttons, buttons, buttons,/ Down his nose, nose, nose." Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2AStarting on the bright, yellow title page showing a smiling elephant ambling his way out of the zoo past the snoring zookeeper, this lively rendition of the well-known song and playground game is filled with new verses and humorous pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. Miss Mary is a perky young lady who primps at a pink-skirted vanity table while a newspaper touts "Elephant escapes zoo." The additional verses tell a fuller story of Miss Mary, recounting the elephant's exploits after he jumps the fence and lands in a yard filled with Fourth of July picnickers, and the friendship that ensues between him and the girl. The elephant takes more of center stage with each successive illustration, whether he is soaring through the air, his adroitness belying his size, or landing in a yard, creating an elephant-sized craterAand mess. When the zookeeper finally arrives to retrieve him, Mary begs him to stay, even offering him her silver buttons that soon are no longer down her back but on his trunk. By the end of the story, both Mary and the elephant vault over the fence for 50 cents. This high-flying package of fun, complete with music and hand instructions, will have children clapping along in no time.AJane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Ages 5^-8. Westcott's cartoonlike illustrations are a great complement to Hoberman's adaptation of a favorite hand-clapping rhyme: "Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack / All dressed in black, black, black." The sheer silliness of the pictures will attract an audience: Miss Mary Mack watching as a large purple elephant jumps the fence, helping the beast clean up after it lands with a "bumpy thud, thud, thud," soaring into the sky with the elephant, and finally landing gently thanks to two colorful umbrellas. The rhythm is contagious, and Hoberman uses the front endpapers to picture the clapping routine that inspired the story and to provide simple instructions. Wild fun for story times. Stephanie Zvirin


Book Description
Hugely popular in both hardcover and board book formats (over 100,000 copies sold), this fun book is now available in a new paperback format. This is an absurdly funny story that children will want to sing, chant, read, and clap to again and again.


Card catalog description
An expanded adaptation of the familiar hand-clapping rhyme about a young girl and an elephant. Includes music and directions for the hand-clapping actions.


About the Author
Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott have collaborated on four Sing-Along Stories together.


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This is a delightful and whimsical board book that will let a child's imagination soar. The clever repetition and rhyming will have children repeating along and chuckling. Imagine an elephant that will jump a fence for 50 cents. That's exactly what Mary Mack has found: a spirited elephant that has escaped from the zoo. This tale follows Mary's desire to have the performing elephant for her very own. She watches in amazement as the elephant takes off, flies and lands right in her own back yard in a pile of muck. Not to worry; Mary quickly takes care of her elephant friend, offering him water to drink and spout. When the elephant's trainer returns to retrieve his escaped elephant to take him back to the zoo, Mary offers him a better life with all the hay and peanuts he desires. But to seal the deal, she also offers him the silver shiny buttons off her dress. Done! Together they sip tea and jump fences every day. Miss Mary Mack, full of wacky and fun illustrations, is a great read-aloud choice for the preschooler. 2001 (orig. 1998), Little Brown and Company, Ages 2 to 6.


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