Reviewed by Mick

A modern attitude savages a classic Rhyme in "To Live in a House or to Live in a Shoe". Although the Rhyme is thematically intact little else remains for the young children who might stumble upon this reconstructed work.

In this Ryme the Old Woman (who used to live in a shoe) locks horns with a Modern Woman who takes charge of the rythmic narrative and shakes it by the scruff of the neck. The old woman is forced to consider modern alternatives to her desperate plight. Welfare and going to court to sue are just two of the options shoved in her face!

One section of the Rhyme certainly raised my eyebrows! At one point the writing includes "She has these ten kids - she could not abort!" and I was suddenly very pleased that I didn't have any young children at my side looking for a little magic in their reading material. Naturally the referral to the word "abort" could simply mean to "remain undeveloped" as listed in my trusty Little Oxford Dictionary. HOWEVER I can tell you that it painted a completely different picture for me ... and possibly damaged my fond childhood memories forever!

The writing style jumps around a little but I felt it did rhyme quite nicely. I'm not quite sure if the author identified the target audience before putting pen to paper but it certainly works if the intention was to shed a new light on some outdated ideas. Many of the original verses of "classic" Rhymes are no longer in vogue. For instance "And whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed" would no longer be considered essential reading by many parents.

After all the inyourface advice from the "The girl of the 90s" we conclude with a happy ending after all. The old woman learns not to hate and moves into a condo.

This is a light hearted piece of writing and I don't think the author took it too seriously. I actually enjoyed the re-worked Rhyme and as long as you're not expecting to find something suitable for very young children, you should too.