Hey Diddle Diddle

by Eve Bunting, Mary Ann Fraser (Illustrator)

It's a musical menagerie! Hey diddle diddle, the cat plays the fiddle, the cow
. . . plays the silver trombone! Eve Bunting's fresh take on a familiar rhyme, enlivened by Mary Ann Fraser's whimsical illustrations, offers spread after spread of exuberant animals showcasing their musical talents. From the camel jamming on the trumpet to the whale keeping the beat on the drums, young readers will relish their front-row seat to this delightful animal orchestra.

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Nursery Rhymes, Cats

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern version of the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle, this book will delight children with its larger than life colorful pictures. There's a whale and a seal, a horse and a pig. All play different musical instruments. The band is inside a music box.

I think this book would be great for teaching musical instruments. The rhyming I feel was forced at times, but, overall, a good book.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun word play in this rhyming picture book about an animal band. While it begins as a take-off on the classic nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle, it quickly veers off into its own unique territory. Soft pastel illustrations will appeal to the younger end of the picture book crowd, which is who the poem is targeting as well.

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is good for kindergarten and first grade. The book starts off by having a cat play a fiddle. The book continues on by naming animals and the instruments that they play. The book ends with a child watching the animals play in a little box.

I loved this book. I never heard of the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle" but this book is really good for the younger grades. The book has good illustrations and great rhyming.

This book could be used to teach poetry. The book could also be used to teach rhyming.

[Z'Nia Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was an okay book. The thing I loved the most about it were the illustrations. I liked the rhyming words and how after every animal was being introduced it also told the instrument that everyone played. I heard of the nursery rhyme, “Hey Diddle Diddle” but I never actually heard it until I went looked it up after I read the book. I thought it was pretty cool that they have a book with the name. The cover is also cute. I would read this book to the students because I think it would be a fun way to start off learning about different types of animals and instruments.

[Kiana Rios]

Bunting breathes new life into this classic by expanding on the original rhyme, giving each character a sense of personality and fun. The illustrations, full of rich colors and dynamic movement, capture the lighthearted chaos of the scene, making it a joy to explore with little ones. It reminded me of how, as a child, I would get lost in the fantastical nature of these rhymes, where animals and objects come alive in the most unexpected ways.

[Kayla Sharp]

Awards: none
Grade level: Pre K- 2
Summary: Rhyming story of the interesting events between animals.
Review: This is a sweet rhyming story that can capture the attention of young readers.
In class uses: This story can be used to build phonemic awareness. This can also be used to teach sequencing of events.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about instruments that aren't too complex so I can use them in storytimes! This was cute because it's only a sentence or two on each page of various animals playing instruments--and at the end it's revealed that the animals are part of a music box. Not only that but the "hey diddle diddle" modified rhymes are something we already do in storytime so this will be great for my list.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE Eve Bunting books, yet this one totally and completely let me down. There are words that are forced to rhyme and that is just not ok in my opinion.

[Sarah Old Inactive Account · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. cute and funny!

[Lucca · Rating 3 out of 5]

10 min, 6 yo
This was an entertaining quick read, with vibrant colors. There were silly words like in Dr. Seuss books, my dd liked how the end it was a music box.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for storytime!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nursery rhyme, but then covers other animals playing other instruments. OK.

[Aarvik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I certainly hope this music box really exists. Because it needs to. Right down to the pail of spilled milk!

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun rhyming book that the kids seemed to enjoy.

[TREVIS C]

Traditional literature. A re-telling of the Mother Goose nursery rhyme of the same name.

[Chelsea Cameron]

Hey Diddle Diddle is a modernized version of the ever so famous nursery rhyme about a music box band made up of interesting members who happen to be furry animals. This book has the similar rhyming as the original text in the beginning of the story but is a little different towards the end. Eve Bunting still uses the funny rhyming to introduce the members of the band (the animals) and also keeps the characteristics the same with the animals. For example the animals all play the same instruments. I was really interested to see how bunting changed around the book because often times I don’t like edited versions of classic books that I read when I was little but this version is awesome. There is still so much of the original text and theme throughout the book that the changes were just extra details that brought more humor to each page. I liked all of the modern colors and I think kids in the younger generations would love it. I highly suggest reading this book to young students in school, as it would give them many laughs and keep them engaged throughout reading time.

[Ashli Stroyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children’s book is an alternative version of the classic nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle.” This story is about an animal band in a music box, and throughout the story the animals are brought to life while Eve Bunting uses the same tune and rhythm as “Hey Diddle Diddle” to introduce each animal and the instrument they play. It would be fun to use this book to introduce poetry to the class because of the easy flow and the rhyming words. The book had well put together illustrations that gave meaning to the words. Although this was a well put together piece of work, it is definitely targeted towards younger children due to the lack of a storyline which is perfectly fine for younger readers. It is a great book for pre-school or kindergarten aged kids that are just learning how to read. If I were to use this book in a class of third graders it would solely be for a poetry unite.

[Madison Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This alternative version of the classic nursery rhyme is about a music box band whose members are all animals. Bunting uses the same rhyming rhythm as the nursery rhyme to introduce the animals and the instruments they play. I would use this book as an introduction to poetry due to its easy flow and rhyming words. I enjoyed the way that Bunting changed the traditional tale and song into something of her own work. It was unique and cute and I enjoyed it. One part about the book that I really enjoyed was that many different types of animals played so many different instruments. This gives readers a chance to still use their imagination and open up their thought process and think that anyone can do anything.

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy's review from 10/8/11 -


This is a pretty cute little book. It's really fast to get through, average toddler picture book length.
Mary Ann Fraser's illustrations were the best part of the book for me.
Julia liked the rhymes and they did flow easily, there was no hesitation while reading which is always a big plus.
Julia also liked the different instruments shown. She doesn't actually play any instruments herself yet but lately she's been getting more interested so seeing all the different kinds of instruments was the best part for her.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://eclipse.rutgers.edu/goose/digi...

The digitization of early nursery rhyme books is a great way to preserve how the nursery rhymes were illustrated in history. In the classroom, it would be interesting to compare the originals with the updated versions of the mother goose rhymes. The illustrations in the book were very colorful with textured details that added to the imagination of the rhymes. Nursery rhymes help early readers develop oral fluency and begin to recognize sounds that can be used to develop in writing activities.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the animals gather together for a musical romp with the cat on the fiddle and the cow blowing a silver trombone. While some of the musicians and instruments are expected, others are delightfully surprising as are the final pages that contain even more surprises. This whimsical send-up of the classic Mother Goose rhyme will bring smiles to faces as they ponder the musical talents of whales and lions amid the colorful acrylic illustrations.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just cannot get into adaptations of childhood rhymes. I was frustrated because the words didn't really match the song, the song did not go past the second verse of the original song and the rhyming words did not make sense. I have trouble enough with my two-year-old making up words throughout the day that do not make sense. I do not need to be reading a book to him that makes up even more nonsensical words just to rhyme.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations, brief amount of text per page. The only thing I don't quite love is this variation doesn't follow quite the same rhythm of the classic nursery rhyme on some of the pages. The ending with the music box is okay and seems to break the pace. Otherwise, it's been a repeat read that hasn't worn thin yet.

(For reference: Sesame Street Hey Diddle Diddle video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caRuh...)

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother gave Natalie four little board books of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. (I had to add them manually here even though they had ISBN numbers). They have one rhyme per page spread and old fashion illustrations in pastels. Natalie has enjoyed listening to parts of them. They are a happy addition to our home library to start introducing these rhymes.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a twist on the classic rhyme as each animal plays an instrument. Preschoolers may giggle to see a pig play "piano with grace" and the mouse on the harp. Nice choice for storytimes about music...or just for fun!

[Jenilyn Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was decent. It mentioned a lot of different instruments so it would be a good one to read if you were going to teach children about music. It also depicted lots of animals playing the instruments so I think children would appreciate that as well.

[Sarah BT · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this in an outreach storytime today with preschoolers and they loved it. They giggled at every new page and thought all the animals playing instruments was hilarious. I like the rhyming text and the illustrations are bright and easy to use with a larger group.

[Jesika La Bryer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyright 2011
This is a traditional story with a twist. I was anticipating a great read because Eve Bunting is the author. I am not saying I don't like it, but I was expecting way more. This book would be great to use with youngsters, I wouldn't use it in a classroom.

[Suzanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of animals that live in a music box form a band. They then are brought to life using a spin-off of the Mother Goose nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle” It would be fun to introduce the class to poetry and the element of rhyming using this book because it has many rhymes.