Mother Goose for Grownups

What happens when Humpty Dumpty has too much to drink, Jack and Jill go to therapy, and Little Bo-Peep grows up? Guy Wetmore Carryl takes the nursery rhymes you learned at your grandmother's knee and transmutes them into something deliciously improper. These aren't crass parodies they are elegant inversions, written in formal verse that honors the originals while twisting them into something unexpectedly sophisticated. The humor ranges from gentle wordplay to sly innuendo, all delivered with a straight face that makes the absurdity land even harder. Imagine Oscar Wilde writing children's verse, or a Victorian gentleman heckling from the nursery. It is short, it is silly, and it rewards anyone who still remembers the words to 'Hey Diddle Diddle.' Perfect for reading in one sitting or scattering across a breakfast table.