Mother Goose in prose Book

This has sat on my Kindle (a freebie) as a collection of short stories that I read during short trips. I figured if it was made by the Wizard of Oz writer, it could be really interesting. That was my only 'selling' point, or I probably would have ignored it.

I think the book improved as it went along, using more obscure nursery rhymes than I ever heard of as he progressed.

What I expected was colorful imaginative fairy tales in the same spectacle as Oz. So I was surprised that he leaned toward the "there's a simple, natural explanation for this rhyme" route that made the story kind of ordinary.

Turns out (says wikipedia) this was Baum's first book, and wasn't really a success. I guess this is how he opened the door into writing, so God bless him. It's encouraging to see the beginning.