MOTHER GOOSE PICTURE PUZZLES by Will Hillenbrand

Sometimes I realize that I take for granted all of the great Ohio authors we have.  We are lucky to live in a state with such great children's authors. Will Hillenbrand is one of those great Ohio authors.  At Cover to Cover last week, I saw his new book, MOTHER GOOSE PICTURE PUZZLES, in the window. What a treat of a book!

This book is a rebus type book-but a little more than that.   For each of 20 classic Mother Goose rhymes, pictures replace some of the words. So readers can guess the word. For readers who need a bit of help, there are clues in each picture to help out.  (And for readers who are not quite sure about the meaning of things like a "fiddle" or "silver bells", the illustrations will help them understand.

Hillenbrand's illustration are a great match for these classic rhymes.  Each rhyme is placed on a two-page spread with a great matching illustration. In the case where 2 rhymes are on a single spread, the illustrations work together.  Hillenbrand is really brilliant in this book.

The book is a little larger than a typical picture books which makes it a great choice for sharing.  I can see buying lots of these for several reasons. It would make a GREAT baby gift.  A new baby could enjoy this book for years. It would also be great in a primary classroom. I think because of the rebus aspect, older kids would enjoy it too.  I plan to share it with all students when we focus a bit on poetry in April.  I am pretty sure they will all love it.