Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: One, Two, Three, Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie, illustrated by Rosemary Wells

It's time for the Mother Goose rhymes to go the way of all historical oddities. Keep a few of the best-known ones, sure. Use them now and then in storytime, of course. But dedicate time and effort to teaching your toddler the intricacies of "From Wibbleton to Wobbleton"? I don't see the point.

This is yet another Opie/Wells collaboration. This one is meant to enforce numbers through Mother Goose rhymes. It includes "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe", a rhyme about postal deliveries, "Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe" (good luck explaining to a toddler what a cobbler and half a crown are), "Sing a song of sixpence", a rhyme about counting chickens, "Hot cross buns" (again, how many toddlers know what a poker, tongs, fire shovel, or hot cross buns are?), and so on. Some are perfectly decent rhymes - "Baa baa black sheep" but more are obscure or weird and certainly not suited to toddlers. The art varies as well. Dedicated Rosemary Wells fans won't agree with me, but it felt tired and poorly laid out, especially in the smaller details.

Verdict: I've never been a huge fan of Mother Goose rhymes and this collection is unsuited to the audience and rehashes a lot of tired old rhymes and reworked art. Not recommended.

ISBN: 9780763687663; This edition published 2016 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library