The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon

Mini Grey’s spin on the nursery rhyme classic “Hey diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle” is a love story of sorts that starts when “the dish ran away with the spoon.” In the midst of the Great Depression, Dish and Spoon become rich and famous vaudeville stars—until their taste for the high life puts them in debt to a gang of sharp and shady characters (depicted as evil knives). The cinematic presentation—with a touch of Bonnie and Clyde, a dash of “The Perils of Pauline”—proves that crime doesn’t pay and love conquers all. A visual treat with new details to discover again and again, here is absurd good fun for the whole family.

Fans of the fractured fairy tale genre will be very interested to learn the behind-the-scenes, never-before-told back story of the romance between the dish and the spoon of "Hey Diddle Diddle" fame. We all know that the dish ran away with the spoon after the cow jumped over the moon, but who could have envisioned the life they went on to lead? Winding up in New York City, the pair quickly finds fame and fortune in a vaudeville act. Unfortunately, like so many before them, the glory goes to their head and the money drains out of their pockets. Turning to a life of crime, the Dish and the Spoon learn the hard way that crime doesn't pay.

Mini Grey (The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-Be) pens a hilarious and romantic tale, accompanied by zany illustrations set in early 20th century Manhattan. The happily-ever-after ending will bring a smile to every face, human and utensil alike. --Emilie Coulter