Pocketful of Posies

August 9, 2010
Rarely have classic childhood verses been depicted with so much care and detail—and fabric. Loosely organizing the rhymes over the course of the day, starting with morning themes and closing with bedtime rhymes, Mavor creates a miniature world using wool felt, various stitching techniques, and found materials like acorn caps and seashells. Tiny ducks follow Jack and Jill's journey up and down the hill, while the rocking cradle in "Hush-a-bye, baby" is a walnut shell. Mavor's intricate and colorfully embroidered work of art makes even the best-known childhood poems feel special and new again. Up to age 3.

August 15, 2010

Mavor has chosen 64 rhymes that combine the familiar (Peter Piper and his peppers, Mary and her lamb, Old Mother Hubbard), the not so familiar ("I eat my peas with honey" and Wee Willie Winkie) and the truly obscure ("Go to bed first, / a golden purse; / Go to bed second, / a golden pheasant; / Go to bed third, / a golden bird"). Beyond the variety, however, the art makes this collection shine. Describing the illustrations as "hand-sewn fabric relief collages" (as the copyright page has it) really does not do them justice. On every page, embroidery, knotwork and beautifully dyed wool felt form backgrounds for the dozens of individual figures and buttons, beads, driftwood and stones. The design is sumptuous, and the smaller details enchant: Hush-a-Bye Baby's cradle is a walnut shell; "Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John" sleeps in the attic loft of Jack Sprat and his wife; Elsie Marley, who "lies in bed till eight or nine," is tucked up under her lace coverlet, reading. A fine choice. (author's note) (Picture book/nursery rhymes. 3-6)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2010

PreS-Gr 1-The epitome of warm and fuzzy, this collection is illustrated with embroidered fabric pictures that have been embellished with small objects like buttons, bells, shells, and bits of driftwood. Some of the items, like Mary's little white lambs, are crocheted, and many of the people appear to have heads made of smooth, round dowels. Old verses like "Elsie Marley" and "Simple Simon" are given a new freshness with this interpretation. With no white space, and familiar text laid out simply, the pictures definitely take center stage. Young children love visual detail and this book will engage and delight. The characters don't look very expressive, but the soft colors and graceful lines are attractive and appealing. An unusual and charming addition to nursery-rhyme shelves.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2010
Slow down and enjoy these sixty-four (mostly) familiar nursery rhymes set in an intricate tapestry of wool, felt, embroidery, beads, and every kind of needlework. The human characters are constructed from cloth, with wooden beads or needle-felted balls for heads, which are then decked out in wool or perfect little acorn caps, ratcheting the wow factor up dramatically. "Jerry Hall, he is so small, / A rat could eat him, / Hat and all" is illustrated with hand-dyed felt, nearly hiding a sneaking, smiling rat behind hand-stitched leaves. With the constructions attentive to even the smallest details of the rhymes, the book is organized loosely from morning to night, opening with "The cock crows in the morn" and "Elsie Marley" and closing with "Twinkle twinkle little star" and "Wee Willie Winkie." Occasionally, double-page spreads house multiple verses, notably a stunning rain scene that incorporates "Rain, rain, go away" and two other nursery rhymes; "Jack and Jill" and "Mary had a little lamb" merit their own spreads. The deftly photographed needlework looks three-dimensional because the textures of the various media create shadows and encourage the eye to linger on every hand-sewn detail. When teachers bemoan the lack of knowledge of nursery tales in their young students, press this special volume into their hands, but get one for home, too: every family deserves a fine collection of nursery rhymes, and this is one of the best. robin l. smith

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)