What Are Little Girls Made of?

By Author / Illustrator

Jeanne Willis, Isabelle Follath

Genre

Personal Growth

Age range(s)

Publisher

Nosy Crow Ltd

ISBN

9781788004466

Format

Hardback

Published

03-09-2020

Synopsis

Award-winning author, Jeanne Willis, revamps all the favourite Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes.Think you know your favourite classic nursery rhymes? Read this picture book and think again! In this witty reworking of popular nursery rhymes, Georgie Porgie doesn't dare to make the girls cry, Little Bo-Peep's sheep are all present and correct, thank you, and it's the queen, OF COURSE, who fixes Humpty Dumpty. With the combination of Jeanne Willis's brilliantly funny poems and charming, witty illustrations from Isabelle Follath, these nursery rhymes prove that girls can be the heroes of any story.

This remixed nursery rhyme collection is the perfect gift book for any child (or adult!), to read aloud or enjoy alone.Every Nosy Crow paperback picture book comes with a free "Stories Aloud" audio recording. Just scan the QR code and listen along!

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Reviews

The book begins by showing that apart from little things, boys and girls are much the same and this theme continues throughout the book. As with any nursery rhyme book, this contains many traditional and well known rhymes, but this time with a twist!

Each rhyme has been written in an alternative way, with the stereotype role of boys and girls removed. For example; when Jack and Jill fall down the hill, this time it was Jill who got up and solved the problem. When a big spider came along to where Little Miss Muffet was eating, she didn't run away but sat and stroked it.

What Are Little Girls Made Of? is a great text to demonstrate writing alternate rhymes and to raise the profile of gender equality and stereotypes. The illustrations support the text perfectly and continue the theme of equality. Great discussions could be generated using the illustrations alone.

Picture book / Ages 7+ / Reviewed by Maria Faithorn, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+

What Are Little Girls Made Of? has many different nursery rhymes which children will most likely already be aware of, however, they have a few distinct differences. Many of them start with the same line or two as the traditional nursery rhyme, but within each of them, the traditional words are replaced with alternative versions from a more feminist view point.

Jack and Jill still go up the hill, but Jill ends up going home to collect her spanners and plasters to fix Jack and his scooter.

Doctor Foster still goes to Gloucester in a shower of rain - although she ends up fixing the broken drain herself.

Georgie Porgie still kisses girls who make him cry, but the girl tells him off for kissing her without asking!

It's a nice book which brings together alternative versions of the traditional nursery rhymes we teach children. It's always good to hear stories, poems and rhymes that don't paint young girls and boys in a gender stereotypical light, and that highlight that we are all equal.

Picture book / Reviewed by Lucy Newton, teacher