Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Children's Classics

Seibold's manic characters and seasick palette give Mother Goose a jolt of Red Bull. Humpty Dumpty buys elevator shoes, Little Boy Blue gets a tuba ("The sheep are in Venice,/ and the cow's in Aruba"), and his old woman, who lives in a sneaker, buys a stereo that ruins her hearing. Some rhymes are amped up ("Mary played a guitar jam/ with her little lamb"), some are goofy ("The little doggie clapped,/ the toothpaste stayed capped,/ and the cow cheered along with the moon"), and some need work in the rhyme and meter department ("He searched all the shelves/ again and again/ until Humpty found/ a true bargain"). The verse hardly matters, though, because the splat-bang humor and frenetic visuals grab most of the attention. When Simple Simon can't remember why he's at the fair (he's simple, after all), a flowchart in the sky above him starts with "PIE!" but all roads lead to "WHY?" Packed with offbeat snark, this collection is as likely to end up on a 20-something's coffee table as it is to join the bedtime reading pile. All ages. (Oct.)