Horn Book Review

Beginning as a traditional version of the rhyme, the text takes a nightmarish turn--as if Tenniel's Alice has joined forces with Mr. Bill. Pastel watercolors indicate benign fun, but the text leaves one at sea: All of the gators and all of the crocs / Were dreaming of Humpty with bagel and lox! Just when it seems likely to be subversive humor, the cloyingly sweet ending shows that the whole thing was a kid playing with a stuffed toy. Music is appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.