About the Author

Mary Ann Hoberman is a former Children's Poet Laureate and a winner of the National Book Award. She is the author of more than forty books for children, including All Kinds of Families!, A House is a House for Me, and the award-winning You Read to Me, I'll Read to You and Sing-Along Stories series.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2 Westcott adapts a jump rope rhyme about the misadventures of Tiny Tim to create a zany book of non sense that demands reading aloud. Af ter the mischievous baby drinks his bathwater, eats the soap, and tries to stuff the bathtub down his throat, his mother calls the doctor, the nurse, and the lady with the alligator purse. When medical cures fail, the lady produces pizza. The colorful illustrations filled with frenzied activities sustain the silli ness and the absurdity of the story. The alligator purse is a miniature alligator with a handle on its back, for example. Even the cat and the dog are part of the energetic fun, pulling up chairs next to Tim's bed for a pizza feast. A book that children are sure to devour. Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ . , Minn.

``Miss Lucy had a baby, his name was Tiny Tim. She put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.'' This silly rhyme features a joyfully portrayed cast of characters. The Lady's purse appears to be real alligator; its back opens up magically to produce pizza. The rest of the loony people include a goofy doctor and nurse and the intrepid Tiny Tim, who attempts to swallow a whole bathtub in one zany picture. The mayhem is rendered in a loose drawing style enhanced by bright pastel colors. The endpapers include charming folios of The Lady and Tiny Tim surrounded by a cheerful border of alligator purses. Westcott's own surprise ending is sheer delight, giving a brand-new shine to a favorite verse. Ages 3-8. (April)