Mama Kangaroo Nursery Rhymes for Modern Times is a children’s picture book written by Cassandra Lennox and illustrated by Jasmine Mills. While still acknowledging the timelessness of the classic Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, Lennox puts a whimsical and modern spin on some of the most popular and endearing favorites. Each rhyme neatly fits the rhythm and pace of the original. In Rub a Dub Dub, the reader finds three ducks floating happily in a bathtub. Instead of the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker, the ducks are differentiated by their colors. Ring Around the Rosy, which has a dark origin indeed, now celebrates the fun three playmates have as they dance in a circle until they get dizzy and fall. Little Miss Muffet and her tuffet are replaced by the vision of a portly young elephant eating a peanut butter sandwich on her couch until frightened by a visiting mouse. And the Itsy Bitsy Spider yields its place to hatchling turtles seen on the beach as they arduously work their way to the ocean.

Mama Kangaroo Nursery Rhymes for Modern Times presents fun and original rewrites of traditional nursery rhymes. As I read each of them, I couldn’t help but compare them to the original and was impressed by how well her work scanned. Lennox’s verses are designed to appeal to younger readers, and that’s a good thing, but, in some ways, I still enjoy the silliness of those three men adrift in the ocean in a bathtub, an image I have retained since childhood. Mother Goose still inspires flights of imagination and fantasy, and I’m hoping parents and caregivers expose their charges to both the new and the old. Jasmine Mills’ illustrations are marvelous and fit each nursery rhyme to a T. I loved her hatchling turtles hurrying to the safety of the sea. Each illustration is brightly colored and cheerful, and grand fun to look at. Mama Kangaroo Nursery Rhymes for Modern Times is recommended.

“The girls and boys have lost their toys, and don’t know where to find them” is my favorite nursery rhyme in this new collection. Mama Kangaroo Nursery Rhymes for Modern Times is a book of revised rhymes with similar tunes, but different words. Author Cassandra Lennox has written new classical rhymes that children will love hearing over and over. Children love rhyming stories, especially if they can relate to the message. These new, updated nursery rhymes are bound to be classics to be read and re-read for years to come. I like how Mama Kangaroo gathers her children around at the beginning of the book and then they’re all in bed at the end of the book.

Mama Kangaroo Nursery Rhymes for Modern Times is an appealing book of short rhyming stories that parents will enjoy reading to their children. Even teachers will want to tell or sing these new nursery rhymes to students. This collection of poems adds modern terms, words, concepts, and expressions that children will understand. Author Cassandra Lennox has written brand-new nursery rhymes destined to become family favorites. Some of the original nursery rhymes were based on darkness, plagues, or silliness. These poems are easier to understand and relate to and less traumatizing for young children. Illustrator Jasmine Mills has created soft, colorful artwork that will attract the attention of children and keep them interested. This book should be on every shelf in homes, schools, and public libraries. Parents and teachers will enjoy reading them with children.