The Aunts Come Marching.

Anne Hutchings is a public-school teacher and librarian in Ajax,
Ontario.

Bill Richardson’s version of the popular campfire song will delight young readers and their parents or teachers as they count and sing along together. The melody for the familiar tune can be found on the endpapers.

With Cynthia Nugent’s exuberant illustrations effectively setting the stage, we are on hand to greet not just one aunt, but an entire band of aunts! And what a motley group they are indeed—from Dainty Dot playing, of all things, a big bass drum, piccolo Pat in Egyptian garb, and Valkyrie-like sousaphone Sue to the five mini-kilted pipers, nine cowboy-clad trombonists, and finally the conductor, Auntie Gwen!

It is evident that Pop is not quite as thrilled as the children are by this visitation. As soon as the band, which now includes the kids and assorted family pets, has assembled and begins to play, Pop beats a hasty retreat to his hammock. One more alone, “Peace” descends “At Last.”

Richardson and Nugent seem to have hit upon the perfect author-illustrator partnership, the end product being this outstanding picture book, for Nugent’s vibrant illustrations don’t just help to tell the story, but expand and extend the text. We hope that The Aunts Come Marching is merely the first of many more successful collaborations by this dynamic duo. Highly recommended.