Miss Mary Mack

From Publishers Weekly
Hands will be clapping and toes will be tapping to this spunky rendition of a favorite school yard rhyme. Most kids?and grown-ups, too?will readily recognize the first three stanzas of this comical chant, but after the "elephant, elephant, elephant" jumps the "fence, fence, fence," the mayhem begins. Hoberman (One of Each) has the acrobatic pachyderm literally crashing the backyard barbecue of young Mary Mack?and sending hot dogs, catsup and guests flying. Despite the mess, Mary Mack grows quite fond of the friendly beast and, with her famous silver buttons, bribes him to stay. Hoberman's lively verses roll off the tongue. Kids will be eager to learn the hand claps and thigh slaps to accompany this rhythmic romp; instructions, along with music notation, appear on the end pages. Westcott (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly) attacks her latest subject with great verve and her characteristic sweet, silly humor. Three smiling terriers and a cat appear throughout, adding to the rollicking fun. And a tea party scene with Mary Mack and Elephant manages to be both elegant and hilarious. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1998 Reed 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


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

PreS-Gr 2Starting 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 craterand 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.Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices