This title by Maurice Sendak is from a Mother Goose rhyme I had never heard.
Higglety Pigglety Pop
The dog has eaten the mop
The pig’s in a hurry
The cat’s in a flurry
Higglety Pigglety Pop.
It’s the story of Annie the dog who has everything, a red sweater, two bowls, eyedrops, eardrops, a bottle of pills, comb and brush, two pillows and a window with a view and a plant. But Jennie is discontented, thinking there must be more to life than having everything. She packs (of course she has a suitcase) and off she goes. She runs into a small pig wearing a large sandwich board – indeed, it advertises sandwiches as well as a call for actors for the World Mother Goose theatre.
But Annie must have experience, the something she doesn’t have. The tale continues with how she gets it, including getting a baby to eat so as not to be eaten by a lion. It is quite a story but all ends well. She gets the job and performs seven days a week and twice on Saturday, eating a mop made of salami.
This is a punning little book with only black and white illustrations. Suited to be read with an adult perhaps, to explain some of the plot. (The first illustration shows the Mona Lisa, I guess for the dog who really has everything.)