Somehow, rhymes such as “Little Boy Jew,” “Three Little Knishes,” or “Tinkle, Tinkle, Ice in Schnapps” never made it in to Mother Goose’s classic book of nursery rhymes.
But “Mother Gooseberg’s Book of Jewish Nursery Rhymes” (Kensington Publishing, paperback, $9.95) is full of them.
In Jeffrey and Lila Dubinsky’s pocket-sized paperback, Mother Goose’s traditional tales have been injected with a tradition of a different kind. All of the nursery rhymes featured in the book have been cleverly twisted into hilariously satirical Jewish versions of themselves.
But these are not for children; parents and grandparents might be best advised to hide the little book from curious young eyes. These rhymes are definitely adult, in topic and content.
But for the reader with a tolerance for schmutz, this collection will keep you chuckling until the last page is turned.
Talia Lakritz
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