Humpty Dumpty Climbs Again

Preschool-Kindergarten. After his fall, Humpty Dumpty is depressed and refuses to climb a single wall. All the King’s Men make fun of him as he sits slumped in his underwear watching TV, too dejected to move. Then Spider comes along and frightens Humpty Dumpty out of the house (while he is still in his underwear). He ends up back at the wall, which he climbs again to perform a heroic rescue (“What a brave egg!”). Illustrated with big, clear, line-and-watercolor cartoons, Horowitz’s simple rhyming text is both a parody of nursery rhymes and a fun story. Children will enjoy the puns and the play with the Mother Goose verses that they know, especially the appearance of familiar characters, such as the Little Dog that laughs at poor Humpty Dumpty and the Dish who runs away with the Spoon. Even the final triumph includes a twist: Humpty Dumpty vows to always climb with the proper safety equipment—and his pants—in the future.

Copyright 2008 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

Horowitz's twist on the familiar nursery rhyme falls a little like Humpty Dumpty himself--flat. When the King's Horses and Men fail to put Humpty Dumpty back together, they call the doctor, who succeeds and tells the egg to be more careful. Thereupon he retreats to his living room, where he sits around in his underwear watching television and eating chips. A visit from the Dish doesn't stir him from his chair...but a Spider does. At the Little Dog's laughter (he's in his underwear after all), Humpty heads for the anonymity of the hills. But when he discovers a horse stuck up on the wall, he cannot stand idly by. He grabs safety equipment (which he never again climbs without) and heads to the rescue. Horowitz's artwork keeps the details minimal in order to maximize the humor, which rests mainly on speech bubbles, facial expressions and tighty-whiteys. What with the fairly adult treatment of Humpty's funk, this will not be a standout on the fractured nursery-rhyme shelf, but it might garner some laughs for the underwear. (Picture book. 3-7)

Copyright 2008 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.