Miss Mary Mack Author:Mary Ann Hoberman, Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator) An expanded adaptation of the familiar hand-clapping rhyme about a young girl and an elephant. Includes music and directions for the hand motions. This is an absurdly funny story that children will want to sing, chant, read, and clap to again and again. — Miss Mary Mack, adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman and illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott, wi... more »ll 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."
Starting 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 crater and 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.« less
Sturdy board book that is great for toddlers and preschoolers who are especially tough on books. As it's title suggests, this is the funny retelling, or resinging, of the famous "Miss Mary Mack" that we all grew up singing on the playground. You will enjoy this book as much as your child.
This book serves all generations. My children remember the rhymes from camp and put a little zest into reading it for their children. A happy little book for all.