*Each Peach Pear Plum (1978) is a wonderfully clever book. It won the Library Association's Kate Greenaway Medal in 1978. The text is rhyme, two lines per page. The first line describes the illustration; the second line prompts readers to search for a somewhat hidden character. Content from one rhyme carries over to the next. Here's an example: "Tom Thumb in the cupboard / I spy Mother Hubbard" (turn the page)"Mother Hubbard down the cellar / I spy Cinderella". The illustration for the first rhyme shows the interior of a country style room. A tiny boy sits on a shelf eating jam. A person in a yellow dress extends beyond the frame, so all of Mother Hubbard isn't visible. The illustration for the next rhyme shows all of Mother Hubbard stepping out of a basement and the extended arm of a child dusting shelves. Turn the page and all of Cinderella appears. Notice how complex and cohesive these lines of text and these illustrations are! Janet and Allan Ahlberg created a masterpiece here.
