Overview
Twenty-four robbers display their cooking talents in this retelling of the traditional skipping rhyme. In Audrey Wood's joyful celebration of this traditional skipping rhyme, twenty-four robbers return to the same house again and again. What do they need and what is it for? Kindness and generosity show the robbers that stealing is not the only way, and teaches them the value of sharing. Count twenty-four robbers on each spread, and join in the shouting!Twenty-four robbers display their cooking talents in this retelling of the traditional skipping rhyme.
Synopsis
This book tells you about twenty-four robbers wanting peepers, corn, and flour. The story has been skillfully adapted from a traditional skipping rhyme and joyfully illustrated and is for small children.
Courtney Angermeier - Children's Literature
This charming picture book rhyme follows the antics of twenty-four robbers as they demand various food items from a peasant woman's house. (Their favorite seems to be, "H-O-T...Hot Peppers!") In the end, the robbers are so moved by the woman's generosity that they treat her to a feast. The illustrations are raucous, fun, and fit well with the text. Each features the twenty-four robbers giving youngsters the opportunity to search and count. The text is short enough to be easily memorized and spells out several words. These two qualities, along with the delightful story and illustrations, make it a great book for building early literacy skills. 2004, Child's Play, Ages 2 to 5.
Editorials
5 to 7 Educator
This is a wonderful version of a traditional skipping rhyme. Twenty-four robbers return to the same house again and again, and are taught that sharing is better than stealing. Each visit from the boisterous robbers leaves the reader eager to know what they will take next.The catchy rhythm and rhyme of this book give it an exciting pace, making it perfect for reading aloud with children. The repetition and segmenting of key words also makes it ideal for beginner readers. Each page is filled with bold, colourful and detailed illustrations depicting the rhyme as it moves along. Get children to join in with this story and count the twenty-four robbers, which appear on every page.
— BA(Ed) English Specialist, Durham University
Evening Echo/Irish Examiner
“NOT last night, but the night before…twenty-four robbers came a knocking at my door…”Can you remember any more of this playground rhyme? We couldn’t but Audrey Wood supplies the rest of the verse, with vivid illustrations, lots of hot peppers and an ending that shows that sharing is better then stealing; as the robbers turn out to be not quite the baddies they at first appear.
Inis
Big, bold, bright simplistic illustrations perfectly partner simplistic repetitive text in this ‘lift the flap’ picture book for infants. Mouse delivers Frog a square parcel which is patterned and coloured the same as frog. When the flaps are lifted, a circular parcel with a different colour and pattern is revealed. When the page is turned a new animal character (who is the same colour/pattern as the parcel) is introduced and the parcel passed on and opened anew.This is an entertaining, amusing book and the bold, colourful illustrations and repetition of words will appeal to younger infants.
School Librarian Journal
The night before, and the next day, and the morn before and the next hour the clever maid continually pleases the twenty-four robbers and shows the advantages of sharing in a beautifully simple book by Audrey Wood with 24 robber to be counted on each double page.The Green Parent
This funny book is written and illustrated by Audrey Wood with lilting text and irreverent illustrations. Parents won’t mind reading this book again and again at bedtime because of the hilarious twist in the tale and the catchy rhythm.Children's Literature
This charming picture book rhyme follows the antics of twenty-four robbers as they demand various food items from a peasant woman's house. (Their favorite seems to be, "H-O-T...Hot Peppers!") In the end, the robbers are so moved by the woman's generosity that they treat her to a feast. The illustrations are raucous, fun, and fit well with the text. Each features the twenty-four robbers giving youngsters the opportunity to search and count. The text is short enough to be easily memorized and spells out several words. These two qualities, along with the delightful story and illustrations, make it a great book for building early literacy skills. 2004, Child's Play, Ages 2 to 5.—Courtney Angermeier