Denslow's Picture Book Treasury

by W.W. Denslow

Six classic nursery rhymes, published as books in the early part of the century, are presented in one volume with commentary by Michael Hearn.

Genres: Picture Books

Hardcover

First published October 31, 1990

About the author

William Wallace Denslow (W. W. Denslow) was an American illustrator and caricaturist. He is best known for his collaboration with author L. Frank Baum, especially the illustrations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! All 18 of Denslow's nursery rhyme books should be put together as a collection for kids today (assuming the others are as good as these six). This is the kind of book I would have read over and over as a child, because of the rhymes and the pictures. The illustrations are vibrant and amusing. Where the text diverges from the usual, it is improved. I also appreciated the introduction by Michael Patrick Hearn to put the book in context. (I read the Arcade 1990 edition. But I think it is basically the same.)

The rhymes/books included in this collection are:
The House that Jack Built
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Five Little Pigs
Simple Simon
Animal Fair (This one was really good. So many animals!)
Old Mother Hubbard

[Am Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book is misleading as it makes you think this is a picture book. It's not! There is a fair amount of pictures inside, yes, but primarily the content revolves around the retelling of several popular children's nursery rhymes/stories (e.g. Humpty Dumpty, Red Riding Hood, etc), coupled with colour illustrations. Most of the retold tales are wittily crafted and even humorous (I cracked a smile while reading some of them!), and some even have an added moral, which I really enjoyed. It's a fun, wholesome and interesting read for adults more than children, I would say (since kids probably wouldn't be able to appreciate the wit behind the retold tales).

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denslow's animal illustrations are soooo good.