Once Upon a Time by John Prater

It took me and the children several readings of Once Upon a Time to discover all the small delights found in the pictures of this book.

Using characters from age-old nursery rhymes, Prater has woven the experience of a child's 'boring' afternoon into the stories of the three bears, Humpty Dumpty and more.  A quatrain per set of pages highlights one of the many storylines told through the pictures of this book.






Several weeks later, we discovered Prater had written a sequel, Once Upon a Picnic:

 

It brings back familiar characters from Once Upon a Time, as well as introducing other nursery rhyme faces.  Both books demand multiple readings, and invite younger children to make up their own stories based on what they see.