The Adventures of Simple Simon

by Chris Conover

"An exceptionally appealing treatment of the tale of Mother Goose's perennial simpleton...Conover's palette is extremely rich, and every detail is thoughtfully chosen and lovingly executed...An imaginative journey unparalleled in any previous visual interpretation of the rhyme."-Starred/School Library Journal

Genres: Nursery Rhymes, Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1987

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author and artist Chris Conover expands upon the traditional nursery rhyme of Simple Simon in this entertaining picture-book, pairing the rhyming text with brightly colorful artwork depicting a pumpkin-headed Simon as he encounters one misadventure after another. A list of sixteen nursery rhymes and/or children's songs, whose stories can be found in the details of the artwork, is given at the end of the book...

With a fun read-aloud text, beautiful illustrations and a search-and-find activity element, The Adventures of Simple Simon is a book that will work best as part of a personal, one-on-one story-time. Younger children will enjoy hunting down the various nursery rhymes, from Little Miss Muffet to Sing a Song of Sixpence, in the artwork, while the main narrative, although less of a story than a silly song, will make for a pleasant listening experience. Recommended to fans of Chris Conover's artwork, and to anyone looking for nursery rhyme picture-books.

[David Schwenker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pleasant artwork is the highlight, but the nursery rhyme text isn't engaging and lacks a through line.

[Brittanie Rieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very cool. I loved the artwork, and the flowing of this story that has been changed a bit, and how they have changed it works. The pictures make this book though, I think. I love weird fairy tale changes.