[MarkWarner]

After a little break for Easter we are back for our 162th book. The last one we read, Super Spook #4, was rather a disappointment to me and generally not very well received by the group. BUT I think Narfstar offering a public apology for bringing it to the site was going a little bit too far! Especially with all the scans he has contributed

I was at a bit of a loss for this week's one ... but (with not much mental effort) I thought of Easter. I did a search.  I found Easter With Mother Goose. I saw it was by Walt Kelly. So it will now become Week 162 reading book history!

Four Color #220 - Easter With Mother Goose can be found here https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=35453. As it appears to be cover to cover Walt Kelly, I really don't feel worthy enough to choose a particular section to concentrate on. So it's a free for all!

Happy Post-Easter, Easter reading!

[crashryan]

At first I was disappointed by the stories in this book because they're written for very small children and lack the wit and word play Kelly usually puts into his scripts. The art, on the other hand, is delicious throughout. It's incredible how much personality Kelly puts into his characters. Everything is so alive.

The story about Hickory and Dickory addresses my story complaint. Kelly shows his talent for silly situations and funny dialogue. I particularly enjoy the scene in which the mice puzzle over how to lay Easter eggs.

His poems demonstrate an affection for nursery rhymes and classic children's tales that stayed with Kelly throughout his career. He returned to this territory in paperback Pogo originals like The Pogo Peek-a-Book, with material slanted toward adults (though there was also plenty of fun for kids).  Parenthetically, Kelly is one of the few comic book poets whose verses usually scan well.

Overall this is a nice book. I would have read it to my own kids if we'd have had ComicBook+ when they were little.

[OtherEric]

I think my credentials as a Walt Kelly fan are pretty well established at this point, so of course I love this book.  With that said, crashryan isn't wrong with many of his comments.  This is not a high point of Kelly's work by any stretch.  What it is is beautifully drawn and, indeed, alive and joyous.  Which is quite fitting for an Easter themed book.

Kelly is underrated as a poet and songwriter; he is one of masters of nonsense verse.  The books Songs of the Pogo is amazing, even if I can't read the actual music in it.

[Morgus]

part of me always likes seeing stuff famous artists do before they become legends...like The Rolling Stones covering Motown or The Beatles doing Arthur Alexander. In this case, it's the kiddie comics Kelly did before Pogo. The art is amazing, you can see the seeds of themes he would use later on. (I like the touch of the hat on Mr Coon. He would have fit in nicely in what would become the Swamp.) And as has been pointed out, his poems and single panels became legendary. I sometimes worry people are forgetting how great and unique a talent he was. Really an American master.

[SuperScrounge]

Jack Rabbit and the Beanstalk - Ummm, okay... I might have liked it better as a kid when I didn't overthink things. I mean, Huimpty Dumpty is most famous for... falling to his death, so his inclusion was... odd.

Hickory and Dickory Help the Easter Bunny - Cute.

All them damn poems - ugh  okay, so they weren't all bad, but I have a low tolerance for poetry and this book had way too much.

[bowers]

 I used to read this one to my granddaughters every Easter. They're getting too old now, but I'm not! Still enjoy Kelley's art and those wonderful little nonsense rhymes. A treat to reread! Cheers, Bowers

[MarkWarner]

It was obvious that the art would be excellent in this, but what pleasantly surprised me was that the story telling. It was witty and inventive. I thought that the Easter Egg themed Jack (rabbit) and the Beanstalk was great!

To my shame I have never heard of Lewis Carroll's "Humpty Dumpty's Song" from Through the Looking-Glass.  I have now though! Following this is a cool little riddle (work it out or find the answer in the book)

"In marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk,
Within a fountain crystal clear
A golden apple doth appear.
No doors there are to this stronghold,
Yet thieves break in and steal the gold!"

After a lot (if I am honest a bit too many) verses we finish with a nice little story "Hickory and Dickory Help the Easter Bunny". Some great gentle little gags in this

Verdict: A hit! Only criticism is that the verses to story ratio was skewed