Miss Mary Mack (Board Book) - Hardcover

Mary Ann Hoberman is the author of the critically acclaimed One of Each and the classic A House is a House for Me, which won a National Book Award.

Nadine Bernard Westcott is a well-known and award-winning illustrator of more than 100 picture books.

PreSchool-Grade 2AStarting on the bright, yellow title page showing a smiling elephant ambling his way out of the zoo past the snoring zookeeper, this lively rendition of the well-known song and playground game is filled with new verses and humorous pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. Miss Mary is a perky young lady who primps at a pink-skirted vanity table while a newspaper touts "Elephant escapes zoo." The additional verses tell a fuller story of Miss Mary, recounting the elephant's exploits after he jumps the fence and lands in a yard filled with Fourth of July picnickers, and the friendship that ensues between him and the girl. The elephant takes more of center stage with each successive illustration, whether he is soaring through the air, his adroitness belying his size, or landing in a yard, creating an elephant-sized craterAand mess. When the zookeeper finally arrives to retrieve him, Mary begs him to stay, even offering him her silver buttons that soon are no longer down her back but on his trunk. By the end of the story, both Mary and the elephant vault over the fence for 50 cents. This high-flying package of fun, complete with music and hand instructions, will have children clapping along in no time.AJane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
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