Miss Muffet, or What Came After - Hardcover

Singer, Marilyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0547905661 ISBN 13: 9780547905662

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2016

Synopsis

People will tell you that all little Miss Muffet wanted was to sit quietly and eat her curds and whey. They’ll insist that she was so scared of a spider, she ran away from it, and that’s where her story ends. Well, those people are wrong! Miss Muffet is more daring than that—and so is the spider. Together, they head off on an escapade involving a host of other nursery rhyme characters to help a famous old monarch who’s lost his fiddlers three.
     Told in clever verse arranged like a musical theater production, this hilarious picture book reveals the true story of the adventures of Miss Muffet and her spider friend.  

About this title

About the Author:

Marilyn Singer, a recipient of the NCTE Award for Children’s Poetry, is the author of more than one hundred books. She lives in New York and Connecticut. Visit her website at www.marilynsinger.net.
 
David Litchfield is the creator of The Bear and the Piano, his debut book. He lives in Bedford, United Kingdom. Visit his website at www.davidlitchfieldillustration.com.
 

From School Library Journal:

Gr 1–3—Many have thought that poor little Miss Muffet was the sad and dainty victim of a wayward spider. Well, there's much more to her story than curds and whey and running away. Patience Muffet is tired of being asked to conform to society's norms. She is not interested in fancy clothes or arranging flowers, like her mother, nor is she interested in identifying insects, like her father. Her ambition is to master the fiddle. This greatly displeases her mother, and life becomes so miserable that Patience runs away, accompanied by none other than the spider himself! They encounter many adventures and intriguing characters during their journey to find freedom and achievement. Does Patience accomplish her goals and break the mold, or does she return to her expected role? Written as a screenplay for a musical, this picture book is very different in format and compelling. Geared toward older children, this selection would be more easily performed or enjoyed alone, rather than used as a read-aloud. There are many facets to delve into and explore. There is the meat of the story, beautifully told in verse, as well as a musical narration by a trio of observers. In addition, there are stage notes in text boxes that set the scene and conversational text in speech bubbles. All of these elements come together on each page to create a narrative that brims with life. The illustrations, rendered in mixed media, are as intriguing and diverse as the text. VERDICT A richly complex fractured fairly tale well suited for classroom sharing, performance, or readers' theater.—Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0547905661
• ISBN 13: 9780547905662
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Litchfield David