[.ca] Mister Magnolia (ISBN 0099400421)

my favourite book as a child:
This was my all-time favourite book when I was growing up, and it hasn't lost any of its charm, its humour or its flair in the years since it was published. Mr Magnolia is a bit of a twit, and needs a lot of help to find his boot. Quentin Blake's illustrations are fun, colourful and irrepressible, and the lines and such flow and flair, you can't help but read it with the emphasis on the last word, i.e. very energetically! I still have my much-mended old copy from years ago, but I couldn't pass up a chance to recommend this to every child, and every adult too.

Goofy guy who rhymes:
This charming English tale follows the follies of Mr. Magnolia who "has only one boot." Cartoon style, water-colored line drawings explore the various rhyming friends of this quirky musician. My two year old daugter chimes in with delight as we encounter sisters who play the flute, a frog and a newt, a dinosaur...what a brute. While this book seems like nothing to a parent, children request to hear it over and over again. It's an instant favorite and a non-overpowering introduction to ryhmes.