The Christian Mother Goose Book of Nursery Rhymes

For Christian families that want to weave inspirational messages into their children's day-to-day lives, Marjorie Ainsborough Decker's time-tested approach will be very appealing. For more than 20 years, Decker's Christian Mother Goose books (Rock-A-Bye Bible, Bless My Little Friends, etc.) have tenderly welcomed young readers to the Christian way. Combining the whimsy and enduring appeal of traditional Mother Goose rhymes with stirring words about Jesus, the Bible, and God's love, Decker portrays a kinder, gentler world. Here, in an extra-large volume, are adapted versions of 53 favorite classics, from "Old Mother Hubbard" to "Twinkle Twinkle" to "Rub-A-Dub-Dub." Under Decker's hand, "Three Blind Mice" becomes "Three Kind Mice":

Three kind mice,
See what they've done!
They helped a lost chick
To find Mother Hen,
They brought some food
To the church mice, then
They cleaned up the tree house
For Jenny Wren,
Those three kind mice.

The rewritten verses will not overwhelm anyone with their poetic brilliance, but they serve their purpose. Illustrator Sarah Gibb paints the kind of quiet, old-fashioned watercolors that readers will always remember. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter