• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 6

Mother Goose Unplucked takes kids on an energetic, fun- and fact-filled excursion to the land of Happilyeverafter. A wacky cast of characters, familiar to us all from our best-known childhood standbys, but appearing here as we’ve never seen them before, pop up on the pages of this book. Witches, fairies, gnomes, giants, princes, stepsisters, farmers, wolves, pigs, cows, dishes, and spoons are here in familiar settings, but with a very fresh take on their circumstances. Readers will be introduced to the latest music sensation, Rapper Rapunzel, who appears here as an insolent tweenager, banished to her attic room by her fed-up parents. The good Fairy Godmother is an advice columnist. And the Big Bad Wolf, considered armed (with very big teeth) and dangerous, is wanted for identity theft. Readers will discover how to write their own very off-the-wall fairy tales, solve riddles to Stump the Dragon, make their own Spell Decoder magic wand, put Humpty Dumpty back together again, and loads more. Fascinating facts, laugh-out-loud cartoons, tasty recipes, hilariously inspired crafts, brain bogglers, crazy jokes, head-scratching riddles, eye-popping optical illusions, and giggle-inducing activities fill each chapter to bursting.

 

Helaine Becker
est l'auteure de nombreux livres jeunesse primés. Elle a écrit plus de 80
livres, dont Raconte-moi les graphiques : L'histoire de William Playfair et
l'album illustré à succès Un porc-épic dans un sapin. Helaine
habite à Toronto, en Ontario.

 

HELAINE BECKER is the author of numerous of books of fiction and non-fiction for children, among them the best-selling A Porcupine in a Pine Tree and its sequel, Dashing Through the Snow: A Canadian Jingle Bells, The Haunted House That Jack Built and Little Jack Horner, Live from the Corner. Her books have won the Silver Birch Award and the CBA Libris Award and have been shortlisted for the Red Cedar, the Hackmatack and the Rocky Mountain awards. Helaine lives in Toronto with her family. Visit her at www.helainebecker.com.

Helaine Becker's profile page

 

CLAUDIA DÁVILA a été directrice artistique des magazines Chirp et ChickaDEE, en plus d’être l’auteure-illustratrice de la série de bandes dessinées primées The Future According to Luz et de l’album Super Red Riding Hood. Elle a également illustré l’ouvrage percutant et multi récompensé Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War de Michel Chikwanine et Jessica Dee Humphreys, ainsi que Viminy Crowe’s Comic Book de Marthe Jocelyn et Richard Scrimger. Claudia est née à Santiago, au Chili, et vit maintenant à Toronto avec sa famille.

 

Claudia Dávila is the former art director of Chirp and chickaDEE magazines, and is the author-illustrator of the award-winning graphic novel series The Future According to Luz and the picture book Super Red Riding Hood. Claudia illustrated the powerful and multi-award-winning book Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War by Michel Chikwanine and Jessica Dee Humphreys, Viminy Crowe's Comic Book by Marthe Jocelyn and Richard Scrimger and The Canadian Kids Guide to Outdoor Fun by Helaine Becker. Claudia was born in Santiago, Chile, and lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two children.

Claudia Dávila's profile page

• Short-listed, Atlantic Library Association, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award
• Short-listed, Alberta Children's Choice Awards, Rocky Mountain Book Award
• Commended, Resource Links, Best of the Year

Few authors ‘get’ kids like Helaine Becker…She delivers yet again with Mother Goose Unplucked, which offers up everything the irreverent title promises: comics, trivia, jokes, activities...157 pages of jam-packed, wonderfully illustrated fun.

Today’s Parent

This book is a great way to beat those unbearable 'I'm bored' days...The activities are fun and educational and are great for summer camps, outings, and school...You can't get this much fun off a television screen!

Suite101.com

Mother Goose Unplucked is a gem…[The] twists on traditional fairy tales engage readers and provoke thoughts. A great book for rainy days or to break the summer vacation boredom. Highly recommend[ed]

Resource Links

Kids will have a great time with this 'fun-filled collection of activities, comics, puzzles, recipes, facts, and stories from once upon a time.'

KidsBookshelf.com

Between the covers of Mother Goose Unplucked, a sturdy little potpourri of nursery and nursery and fairy tale spin-offs, the reader will find a truly amazing assortment of games, puzzles, quizzes, creative writing activities, recipes, riddles, jokes, scavenger hunts, tongue twisters, horoscopes — the list goes on and on…Mother Goose Unplucked is so full of ideas for interactive games and learning activities that any teachers, librarians or parents with a love of or interest in fairytales should be happy to add it to their collection…Highly Recommended.

CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials

This lively book is tons of fun, and will keep fairy tale enthusiasts entertained for hours.

YABooksCentral.com

Full of activities, from riddles to do-it-yourself fairy tales, optical illusions and things to make, very colorfully presented and illustrated. A compact, fun-filled activity book.

Burnaby Now

Looking for something for the kids to do on a rainy day or during a long car ride? Check out Mother Goose Unplucked. This whacky remix of childhood standards is an interactive hoot. From comics and jokes, to recipes and games to spotting spelling errors and unscrambling words, this little book has something for everyone. Written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Claudia Dávila, it offers a seriously good time.

The Flint Journal

When it comes to something to do, this is the book for you!…It is so much fun to get into! The stories are interesting and creative, and the games can keep you occupied for hours. I give Mother Goose Unplucked five enchanted stars.

Sarah’s Stars

…brightly colored cartoon illustrations of dragons, princesses, fairies, and ogres as well as their magical lands perfectly complement the fun, sassy tone of Becker’s witty text. This well-conceived collection will keep kids royally entertained for hours.

Quill & Quire

A host of crazy comics, hilarious cartoons, challenging riddles, laugh-out-loud jokes, thought provoking quizzes and fascinating facts reveal the inside story behind our favourite childhood tales. Each chapter is also bursting with tasty recipes, inspired crafts, creative writing projects, engaging games and other amusing activities, all accompanied by witty, easy-to-follow instructions.

Edmonton’s Child

Children will meet a wacky cast of characters, familiar from all the best-known childhood standbys, but appearing as never seen before with a very fresh take on circumstances.

Calgary’s Child

Mother Goose Unplucked: Crazy Comics, Zany Activities, Nutty Facts & Other Twisted Takes on Childhood Favourites

Board games, comics, tongue twisters, quizzes, optical illusions, paper crafts and recipes are just a sampling of some of the great activities in Helaine Becker and Claudia Dávila’s bold, fresh take on nursery rhymes and fairy tales. This book extends the life of best-loved nursery rhymes and fairy tales and rejuvenates them for today’s young audiences.