Girls and Boys Come Out to Play - by Tracey Campbell Pearson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Mother Goose herself invites kids to come out to play with all their favorite nursery rhyme characters in this popular Mother Goose rhyme.

Girls and boys, come out to play,

The moon doth shine as bright as day.

Parents looking for bedtime stories with a fresh twist on a familiar nursery rhyme need look no further. Using the popular Girls and Boys Come Out to Play Mother Goose poem as a backdrop, illustrator Tracey Campbell Pearson spins an exciting visual narrative in which Mother Goose invites children on a city block to come out and play, taking them on a moonlit adventure in verse. Young readers will love pouring over Tracey's richly detailed artwork full of diverse kids, animals, and beloved nursery rhyme characters, including Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, and Old King Cole. After the fun is over, Mother Goose leads everyone home to sleep snug in their beds.

Review Quotes

★ "Pearson's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations easily convey the exuberance of her characters be they human or animal. Her dynamic scenes are full of details that keep the story zipping along with the text. . . . this clever book will delight all readers."--School Library Journal, Starred Review

"Sprightly watercolor illustrations in a mix of double-page spreads and vignettes pace the action perfectly; the many details will keep and hold youngsters' attentions . . ."--The Horn Book

"The cheery, bouncy text of the rhyme could turn out to become a favorite of young readers/listeners sitting in laps or hearing this in group sessions. The loose pen-and-ink-and-watercolor illustrations suit the action well, suggesting energetic movement and lighthearted activity. . . . An engaging, lively addition to the Mother Goose canon."--Kirkus Reviews

"Quiet cheer and sweet-tempered humor mark artwork by Pearson (Tuck-in Time), who sprinkles her loosely drawn pen, ink, and watercolor spreads with incidents for readers to discover . . . a nursery rhyme fantasy that offers both excitement and coziness." --Publishers Weekly

"While letting the traditional phrases work their magic, Pearson captures the spirit of the nonsense in lively ink drawings with watercolor washes. . . . With plenty of intriguing characters and visual details to discover, here's a lively interpretation of a classic nursery rhyme." --Booklist

About the Author

Tracey Campbell Pearson has written and illustrated many books for children, including The Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson which was a Booklist Editor's Choice and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and Elephant's Story, which was an ABC Best Book for Children. She lives in Vermont.