What REALLY Happened to Humpty?: From the Files of a Hard-Boiled Detective

by Jeanie Franz Ransom, Stephen Axelsen (Illustrator)

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Oras his brother Detective Joe Dumpty thinkswas he pushed? This case isnt all its cracked up to be. Suspects are plenty (as are the puns) in this scrambled story of nursery rhyme noir. Was it Little Miss Muffet? Theres something not right about her tuffet. Or could it have been Chicken Little, whos always been a little cagey? Or was it the Big Bad Wolf, whos got a rap sheet as long as a moonless night? Joes on the beat and determined to find the truth. Readers of all ages will delight in the word play and hilarious illustrations in this mystery of what really happened to Humpty Dumpty on that fateful day.

Genres: Picture Books, Mystery, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Humor, Nursery Rhymes, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2009

About the author

Jeanie Franz Ransom is a children's picture-book author and former elementary school counselor with a penchant for puns and a fondness for fractured fairytales. Her books include the award-winning "What Really Happened to Humpty?" and "The Crown Affair," and her newest title, "Cowboy Car."

Jeanie also writes self-help books for kids and the adults in their lives, including "Don't Squeal Unless It's' a Big Deal: A Tale of Tattletales," "Big Red and the Little Bitty Wolf: A Story About Bullying," and "There's a Cat in Our Class: A Tale About Getting Along."

Jeanie divides her time between St. Louis, MO, and Northport, MI, and is a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and conferences. To et updates on Jeanie's books and special events, follow her on Facebook.com/JeanieRansomAuthor, or visit www.jeanieransom.com..

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using a 'hard boiled' (ha-ha) Sam Spade-like lead character, this story explores the mystery of who pushed Humpty Dumpty. The fact that the classic children's nursery rhyme is turned into a detective story is so creative and I loved how so many different personalities from other stories and rhymes are incorporated into the tale.

The illustrations are colorful and cartoonish and we referenced the map of the neighborhood in the front of the book several times to track the progress of the case. Overall, we thought this was a very entertaining story and we really enjoyed reading it together. The ending is somewhat predictable, but not disappointing.

This story was selected as one of the books for the February 2013 - Fractured / Alternative Mother Goose discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nursery rhyme goes noire in this hard-boiled detective story from Jeanie Franz Ransom, whose long-standing relationship with the Dumpty family stretches back (so we are told in the biographical blurb on the rear dust-jacket flap) into her youth. When the famous Humpty takes his fall, his younger brother Joe - that's P.I. Joe Dumpty to you! - isn't buying the idea that it's an accident, immediately setting out to find those responsible. Chasing all over Mother Gooseland, Joe is hot on the trail of the wrong-doers, chasing after clues and eventually arriving at the (not-so-surprising) solution.

Chosen as one of our February selections over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme was "Fractured Nursery Rhymes," this amusing tale works quite a few well-known characters into the story, from Mother Goose herself (Police Chief Goose!) to Chicken Little and Little Miss Muffet. There are entertaining puns aplenty - Joe's a hard-boiled detective, get it? - and the cartoon-style artwork adds to the sense of fun. I particularly appreciated the map of Mother Gooseland that appears on the endpapers. All that said, I was a little disappointed to see that, revisionist or not, the Big Bad Wolf is still the villain. It would have been more amusing if it had been entirely the doing of Little Miss Muffet. Leaving that issue aside, this was an entertaining tale, one I would recommend to young readers who love nursery rhymes and fractured fairy-tales. Perhaps to be read with Humpty Dumpty Climbs Again , or Who Pushed Humpty Dumpty?: And Other Notorious Nursery Tale Mysteries .

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading What Really Happened to Humpty? to the kids. I like hard-boiled detective stories, as a kid I adored nursery rhymes and Mother Goose tales, and so the combination of the hard-boiled detective and nursery rhyme characters was just great! The hard-boiled/noir voice was nicely done in this book, in fact, I think that's what kept the kids hanging on to every word in this tale. When I read the story to the kids I made sure to do my best Sam Spade, and that was lots of fun.

I didn't think my nephew would get this story, because he doesn't really know the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, so I kind of vacillated between checking this book out and not doing so. As it turned out, it did not matter in the least that he wasn't familiar with this nursery rhyme, because this story was so well done that he was able to just enjoy the book on its own.

My niece, who is often shockingly slow to unravel a whodunit, had this mystery figured out almost immediately! This stunned me, because I completely missed the clues when I read this to myself, so I thought this was sufficiently subtle to keep the kids in the dark until the end. What I failed to take into account is that her brain is a lot newer, and a lot more nimble than mine! This was a fun, well-done mystery story, just chock-full of chances to let yourself go and do lots of different voices.

[Mattis Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

What REALLY Happened to Humpty?: From the Files of a Hard-Boiled Detective
Author: Jeanie Franz Ransom
Genre: Mystery

What Really Happened to Humpty is a clever take on a classic nursery rhyme: Humpty Dumpty Fell Off A Wall. This author brings all of the traditional, classic children’s story characters such as Mother Goose, Little Red Riding Hood, the Muffin Man, the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, Chicken Little, and more into this particular story. With Humpty’s younger brother Joe playing detective as well as narrator, he goes from home to home trying to figure out who actually pushed Humpty off the wall. Joe spends the day on the clock, never stopping to take a break from solving the crime. At the end of the day, Joe discovers that Humpty was pushed, and that it was the Big Bad Wolf! A little detective work done by Humpty’s hard-boiled brother completely transformed the nursery rhyme into an exciting tale with a very different ending!

Literacy: Assign one classic nursery rhyme to each table. As table groups, have students get creative and think of ways they can modernize and adapt the tales to fit in time now. Give students time over several days to write a new version and have them create illustrations to go along with their adapted stories.

Drama: This book would be an excellent opportunity to provide drama into the literacy classroom. Have students act out What REALLY Happened to Humpty and invite other classes/grades to watch.
What REALLY Happened to Humpty?: From the Files of a Hard-Boiled Detective was a WOW book for me because of the creativity, modern, and entertaining twists and turns it took throughout the story. It turned a classic story that has been told for so many years into something new and modern with an element of mystery as well.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeanie Franz Ransom puts a creative spin to a classic nursery rhyme in this comical mystery told from Humpty Dumpty’s hard boiled brother. The investigation is pieced together through various nursery-rhyme characters like Goldilocks, the three bears and the three little pigs. As a kid, I adored nursery rhymes, so I loved how so many different personalities from other stories and rhymes are incorporated into the tale. The author truly brings each character to life through the dialogue they add to the story line. Somehow, it felt as if I could interpret the noir voice of the detective. In fact, I think that's what kept me hanging on to every word in this tale.
This WOW book is great for ages 6-9. Throughout this book, students learn about the importance of gathering evidence and piecing a story together. With that said, I think this would be a good book to do a shared reading or read aloud with for comprehension strategies. More Specifically, I could demonstrate how to use a story map with this book or have students complete one on their own. In addition to story maps, I think this would be a great book to do an evidence gathering scavenger hunt. Students get the opportunity to become their own detectives on the case and practice pulling out specific details from the story to help them solve the mystery. One last activity I could attach to this book would be a cold case conspiracy writing. This writing piece would allow my student to decide who or why Humpty Dumpty fell and then support their conspiracy theory with their explanation.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Really Happened to Humpty Dumpty is the modern day version of all story we have all come to love. This story of what really happened to Humpty comes together with lovable characters, silly words and mystery which will entice even the most reluctant readers to want to hear more. This is a great read aloud for readers from Kindergarten to second grade. The illustrations are colorful and cartoon like and will certainly draw in young readers. This book would be a great way to introduce mystery stories and learn to make predictions and hypothesis as to what will happen next in the story, thus promoting critical thinking. There are many clues throughout the book as to who is responsible for the fall of Humpty Dumpty. Humpty Dumpty has been sitting on a wall for years and never fell; that is, until now. Humpty’s brother, Joe is determined to find out what happened to his brother and he will leave no stone unturned until he uncovers the truth! Was it the wind? Was it the Big Bad Wolf? Was it Ms. Muffit? I can imagine that young readers will want you to quickly read this story so they can get to the end and see who is to blame!

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much fun. It's about Humpty's detective brother on the case. It set's up a few nursery rhyme characters as suspects of the cracked egg. This book is full of hilarious puns and hidden Easter 'eggs'. Humpty has always been the "good egg" and so he became the neighbor's watch until that fateful "scrambled-up day" but "at least he landed sunny-side up."
My favorite quotes-
"I wish I'd stopped to crack a few jokes with my brother"- Jo Dumpty
"The Muffin Man's scrambling to fill a big order," -Red Riding Hood
"There's no case to crack." -Mother Goose
"I'm shell-shocked." -Humpty
"I'm Bad," He said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's my middle name."-Wolf to Jo Dumpty
"Guess you wanted a scrambled egg with your bacon." Said Jo Dumpty to the Big Bad Wolf

The whole time I pegged the crime on the Muffin Man and I kept singing to myself, "do you know the Muffin Man, the Muffin Man, the Muffin Man?" haha

[Ali Gunns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story had me laughing from start to finish! What Really Happened to Humpty is a mystery book that could be used in a K-2 classroom. The story takes the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty and it into an elaborate story. Other nursery rhyme characters such as Little Miss Muffet and Little Red Riding Hood are also in the story. Throughout the book, Humpty's brother interacts with other nursery rhyme characters to solve the Humpty mystery.

This book would be perfect for having students make predictions. I think the students will really love this book because it takes nursery rhyme characters and puts them together into a funny story.

This is a WOW book for me because I have always loved nursery rhymes and I find it clever how the author found a way to integrate many characters into a mystery story. I think the students will really enjoy it!

[Sarah W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Dumpty is on the case. When his brother Humpty falls off the wall during his first week as captain of the Neighborhood Watch, Joe is convinced the act was no accident. Police Chief Goose gives Joe until five o'clock to figure out the case before she writes it up as an accident report. Joe starts by asking Humpty's friend Muffy some questions on a trail of interrogation that leads to Goldilocks, Old Mother Hubbard, Chicken Little and the Pigs while Humpty is hospitalized.

This clever picture book uses a variety of nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters to create an entertaining blend of the modern world and fantasy. This book will be great for readers and listeners familiar with traditional rhymes and stories, but should provide laughs for those unfamiliar with that canon.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written in a creative and fun way. Not only is the mystery of who pushed Humpty Dumpty from the wall entertaining and mysterious, but the way the author was able to incorporate other fairy tales into the story was remarkable. This book is a great tool in helping teachers introduce mystery stories in order to promote critical thinking. The clues of who is to blame for the fall are written throughout the book; this helps students begin to form hypotheses of who out of the fairy tale characters is to blame. Moreover, the pictures throughout the book are so elaborate, detailed and colorful. The book is well written, entertaining, and will help students understand certain aspects of some of the most famous fairy tales.

[Tricia Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very clever little book describing how Humpty's brother Joe, the P.I., solved the riddle of Humpty's great fall. The nursery rhyme characters are creatively woven into this cute story along with colorful illustrations. What the characters are thinking are done in black and white bubbles which help us understand the story even better. While Humpty is in the hospital healing (because of the miracles of modern technology) we learn the real reason Humpty fell. I thought this was one of the cutest books dealing with the nursery rhyme characters that I'd seen in a long time!

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as funny as it could have been--somehow it feels as if it's saying "isn't this cute? get the inside joke?"
Older kids will enjoy it, if they don't deem nursery rhymes to be "baby stuff". But it will sail over preschoolers dear little heads.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humpty Falls. And he doesn't... [spoiler alert] The Big Bad Wolf doesn't go there, Spider did. Humpty Dumpty's not supposed to be on the wall; he doesn't balance on the wall, so he
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[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coyer Summer Bash

This is such a cute little read . The brother of gumption dumpty is a PI determined to figure out who is behind his brothers accident. His quest takes him through many interrogations before the truth is revealed.

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book is hilarious if you know your mother goose. I recommend it as a breath of fresh air.

[Heidi Lil' Chip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe the big bad wolf did it "because it was bad and that's his middle name" 🙄
Other than that this was a great children's book! I just wish they would've came up with a better motive

[Stephanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a decent addition about famous nursery rhymes. My students would have to know the other tales before I read this.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What REALLY Happened to Humpty? is just a fun read for many ages. We all know that Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall. Joe Dumpty does not think it was an accident, and he is trying to get to the bottom of this case. There are many classic characters involved in this story: Little Red Riding Hood, Chicken Little, Little Miss Muffet, the old woman who lived in a shoe, the Big Bad Wolf, the three little pigs, Goldilocks, the Muffin Man. There are so many characters that many children already know that the children will love that they can connect with this story. Joe looks for clues and interrogates the different characters to try to figure out what really happened to his brother. After all, he always sat on that wall, why would he fall off now?
This is going to be a fun read for many different ages because young will like it because of the familiar characters and characteristics of those characters, and older people will like it because of the many puns that are used. This would be a fun story to use in a read aloud because I can really picture using many different voices for the different characters; I can especially hear Joe Dumpty's typical detective voice.
The illustrations are done in watercolor, pen and ink, and are very cartoon-like and colorful. The map of Mother Gooseland on the end sheets add to the story, and I found myself referring to it while I was reading. The type is done in a typewriter font, which is fun because it is like a detective case file. It also goes with the picture where there is a typewriter in Joe's office (many children will have to be told what it is). There is also a creative use of speech bubbles throughout the story.
While I would recommend this book to many ages, I think it would be best for Kindergarten through third grade. I think they will like the characters and also solving the mystery at the same time. The book does a good job of giving many clues, but not being too obvious for a younger reader.

[Sydney Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

What REALLY Happened to Humpty?: From the Files of a Hard-Boiled Detective is a twist to the children’s nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. After Humpty Dumpty had his great fall, his brother Joe Dumpty refuses to believe that it was an accident. Joe goes around all of Mother Gooseland, asking everyone in his path questions to get to the answer. This is a story of trusting your gut and finding the right answer. This is a WOW book to me because it is based on a story that I already knew. I also like the fact that other nursery rhymes were included in this book, which added a little more fun. Lastly, I like the message that this book sends. It encourages children to trust themselves, even if no one else trusts them. It also teaches children to not always trust the answer given to them. Sometimes teachers and parents are wrong, and that is okay. Students should be critical thinkers and actively search for answers.
This is a mystery book that would be most appropriate for 3rd or 4th grade classrooms. One way that this book can be used in the classroom is in addition to social studies. We could look at the standards 3.H.2.1 Explain change over time through historical narratives (events, people and places) or 3.H.2.2 Explain how multiple perspectives are portrayed through historical narratives. We could engage in a discussion about the multiple perspectives that Joe Dumpty heard in order to get to the truth. Another way I could use this book is somewhat like a reader’s theater. Students can reenact the story, where each student is a different character. Afterwards, we can discuss how each character’s story led to the truth.

[Deena Lernor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Really Happened to Humpty by Jeanie Franz Ransom, is the story of how Humpty's brother Joe investigates Humpty's fall off the wall. Joe investigates into the various nursery rhyme charters to find out who had pushed Humpty off the wall. Joe uses his instincts and follows his lead into finding out who killed Humpty. Joe finds out interesting facts that lead him to find his next suspect while finding justice for his brother. Humpty looks into Little Bo Peep and the three little pigs. He eventually gets to all the characters including the Big Bad Wolf. Who did Humpty find guilty of pushing Humpty off the wall?

This story has many puns throughout it that make the book a mystery with some humor. The book is considered to be a mystery because there are police and investigation. The mystery adds suspense to who Joe finds as the culprit and creates this fun environment for the reader.The illustrations are full of color and take up a majority of the page with minimum negative space where there is text. The bright illustrations make you pay attention to the amount of the detail in every illustration. Each illustration is very busy on each page that it is necessary to pay attention through out the story. The plot is climatic with Joe investigating throughout the book to find the culprit. This book is for middle level readers with the amount of text on each page and the vocabulary used is for readers who are at higher reading level. Overall this book shows another side to the classic nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.

[Sayonna Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

What REALLY Happened to Humpty?: From the Files of a Hard-Boiled Detective is a children's mystery book suitable for a third-grade classroom, told from the perspective of Humpty Dumpty's brother Joe. Joe doesn't believe that Humpty, the new Neighborhood Watch captain, accidentally fell from the wall. I was taken on Joe's journey through a storybook land as he raced against the clock to find out what really happened to his brother.
One of the ways that a teacher can implement this story into a lesson is to have the students act it out. One student can be Joe and use clues given by his/her fellow classmates. Students will be given the opportunity to expand their academic language as they act out scenes and come across words that they may have heard before but not really understand.
Another way that a teacher can use this book is during a social studies lesson. By tracking Joe's movements through town, students would be able to create a map showing where Joe has been and what happened in each location.
This was a WOW! book for me because I've only heard the traditional retelling of Humpty Dumpty. This book gave me the idea to allow students to retell their favorite nursery rhymes from their perspective. This book also was a way for me to tie my childhood to my adulthood in that Humpty Dumpty is a classic tale that I've heard since I was little, and I have a special place in my heart for detective stories because I bond with my dad over cop shows.

[Jordan Schwab · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Really Happened to Humpty was a very cute book that was about the mystery of Humpty Dumpty having his great fall. However, there was a cute twist added when the story incorporated a lot of the other nursery rhymes and fairy tales. There were also a lot of egg jokes or puns that were used throughout the book that tickled me.

The illustrations were done in watercolor, pen and ink. There was a lot of framing in this book with no full-bleed pages. The text was simple but there was a lot of it and it was all located outside of the framing of the pictures. This made it easy to read even if there was a lot to read. It was cute because some of the framing was in the form of an egg so it all kept everything very tied together!

The end pages have a lot of cute things on them including a map of the town that the story takes place in and some characters talking a little about the story to give you a little hint into the story.

Overall this was a very cute story that I could see myself reading to my class when introducing mysteries or even suggesting it to a child that enjoys this genre when reading for pleasure. The book does not include an age range that it is intended for, however I would probably have a child that is advanced enough for a heavy load of reading and would be able to understand the egg puns in it read it before I suggested it to a younger child.

[Thomasina Dinehdeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two hard boiled eggs who are brothers, named Humpty and Joe Dumpty. Joe works as dectective and once he heard that his younger brother, Humpty, fell off the wall, he rushed to the scene to figure out what happened and that it doesn't make sense. Humpty was a newly elected captain for the Neighborhood watch program, but what doesn't make sense to Joe is that Humpty has been sitting on the wall for years, and then out of the blue he falls? This started the drive in him to discover the truth, but he has only given a short amount of time and if he didn't bring in any leads, the incident is going to be an accident report, which Joe didn't want. So he goes on an investigation to see who pushed Humpty off the wall.
The storyline was very creative and I like how the author included others from different stories. The one I liked was he different to go to the bears house and where they were on the time and day of the incident, but as Joe knocked on the door, he was surprised to a 'bare' feet than 'bear' feet. There was girl who answered the door and told Joe that she was on house watch and offered Joe some porridge, but Joe replied by saying "Sorry, I'm on a low carb diet." The illustration were great, they were very detailed and colorful. The brightness in the colors caught my attention and was pleasing to the eye.

[Shakemia Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...at least that's what we were told until a new detective is on the case! What Really Happened to Humpty is a clever take on a classic nursery rhyme. The author integrates traditional, classic children’s story characters such as Mother Goose, Little Red Riding Hood, the Muffin Man, the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, Chicken Little, and more into this story. Humpty’s younger brother, Joe is the new detective in town, and goes from home to home trying to figure out who actually pushed Humpty off the wall. I loved reading reading the different twists of all of the nursery rhymes, what a fun idea for a book! K-2 students will really enjoy the mystery element of this story! This book is perfect for students working on predictions. Students could make predictions about what really happened to Humpty. This is also a great book for students to practice comparing and contrasting the different versions of the class nursery rhyme. Students could practice analyzing characters with this book as well. I consider this a WOW book because of the entertaining narration from Joe Humpty. I found myself reading as if I were in a Sherlock Holmes movie! I believe students will really be engaged throughout this entire book! It has definitely made me want to incorporate more mysteries into my classroom!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked nursery rhymes when I was a kid and I suspect that I would have been delighted by this Humpty Dumpty mystery. It was a good, but not great, picture book mystery about how Humpty Dumpty really fell off the wall. His brother Joe, follows clues to find the person responsible for Humpty's fall from the wall.

When I first saw the picture of Humpty, face down and broken, I was surprised. It turns out, *spoiler* that Humpty isn't dead. Though he recovers, he doesn't remember the details of the accident. Ransom uses a noir fiction tone throughout the book in a way that will be accessible for younger readers. There are also some puns but they won't interfere with meaning too much.

The picture of Joe's office shows a cell phone and a typewriter, a strange juxtaposition of technology. I liked the use of panels and speech bubbles; there were also a few green narrative boxes that I didn't think flowed as well with the story.

It was a starred review for Booklist. Ultimately, I don't think that this book will appeal to a lot of children and I don't think that I would purchase it for a school library collection.

[Bianca Greco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read! I loved it because it referenced some of the popular nursery rhyme characters within the book and that it combined a mystery. The illustrations are very detailed and colorful. In the story Joe Dumpty, Humpty's brother is a detective who is SURE that his brother did not accidentally fall off the wall, but rather someone may have pushed him? Detective Joe interviews people from around the town to see if any of them found something unusual on the morning that Humpty fell off the wall. He spoke with Miss Muffet who was at the scene of the crime, the three little pigs, Old Mother Hubbard and many more popular characters from nursery rhymes until he has solved the mystery! This is a book my cooperating teacher supplied to me, I was looking through a pile of books to do a read aloud lesson. I thought this would be a good read aloud lesson I could use as a way to practice in a class setting. There are a lot of parts in the book that require thinking, making inferences, sequence of events, chronological order and predictions. This book would be a good read for upper elementary students starting in the third grade.

[Hali Armour · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be my favorite children's book, it had me laughing throughout the whole thing. It's a really cute story about Humpty Dumpty and his brother who is a detective named Joe. Joes is trying to 'crack' the case of how Humpty fell off the wall. This book incorporates many other children stories like The Three Little Pigs, Miss Muffet who Sat on a Tuffet, Chicken Little, and many more. As it incorporates these stories there are a play on words with the characters from their stories and on Humpty falling off the wall. Some of my favorites were "Whoever did this was gonna fry!" The spider saying "I almost wet my web." and Joe Dumpty explaining chicken little as a "tender chicken" because he is so concerned the sky is going to fall. This book was just so adorable and humorous I believe that any age group would love it! The illustrations within it have so much going on as well that you can just look at a single page forever trying to pick out all of the neat details. Such a great book and I highly recommend it!

[Clare Santos-Gacad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and funny story as Humpty Dumpty's detective brother tries to figure out what really happened to Humpty and whether or not he was pushed. There are a lot of puns and nursery rhyme noir in this book. The detective explores and investigates different suspects like Chicken little, Miss Muffett, The Big Bad Wolf and other nursery rhyme characters. It's all about how Detective Joe is on the beat and determined to find the truth of what really happened to his brother.

The illustrations are very colorful and cartoon like. It is very entertaining and the kids are able to predict what will happen after each page turn. It's a good twist for a mystery picture book as it uses a variety of nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters to create a blend of modern world and fantasy. This book includes a motif of different fairy tale characters. It also includes frames on each of the illustration. The frontispiece explores the town of mother goose land and all the possible suspects for the case.

It is such a great read and a clever little book!

[lprater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of literature unit:

An egg simply falls from a wall or was he pushed? Joe Dumpty, Humpty’s younger brother, sets out to find out what really happened on that fateful day. Interviewing well-known characters from other nursery rhymes, such as Miss Muffet, the spider, the three pigs and even Mother Hubbard, Joe finds his answer and points the finger at the usual suspect, the wolf. The story is illustrated in cartoon like characters, which add to the entertaining tone and enjoyment of the tale. The story is filled creative descriptions and sayings such as “hard-boiled detective” when referring the Joe Dumpty, the detective and “at least he landed sunny side up” when referring to Humpty. Teachers could use this book for older readers to read the book as a writer. Younger students would enjoy the book if they had prior knowledge of the nursery rhymes and folktales included. I would recommend this book for children grades 2-5.

[Charity Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book because I liked the idea that it brought together several different nursery rhymes together. I was disappointed because it seemed to drag on forever. It would be better for children in 2-4 rather than the younger grades because my kindergarteners were bored with it. They wanted to find out who knocked humpty over but the wait lost their interest. I liked the fact that you were left to wonder who "did" it until almost the end.It was most powerful at the end of the book when humpty's brother solved the case and figured out who pushed humpty over. I will take with me how a great idea it was to mix the nursery rhymes together. The kids enjoyed trying to figure out what character went with which nursery rhyme. I would recommend this book to an age group other than prek and kindergarten-too long for them. I would use this book to review nursery rhymes