Mother Goose

This edition is a cheap photocopy of the text only of the "Original Volland Edition" and does not contain any illustrations! Most of the other reviews here are for the hardcover edition, which apparently includes illustrations. I was very disappointed that this was not more obvious. What a Rip-Off with a big R! I'm going to see what I can do to report this and/or return it.

Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose book, originally published in 1881, includes most of the best-loved nursery rhymes illustrated in beautiful watercolor paintings. Their mood is gently romantic, rather than playful like DePaola's Tomie's Little Mother Gooseand Opie's The Very Best of Mother GooseMother Goose collections. For parents who want to introduce a little "real" art to their young children, this could be a very nice fit. It's also available in a three-volume board book format.

This book has nearly every melodious, mad Mother Goose rhyme, from the familiar to the less known:

"I met a little old man
Who wouldn't say his prayers
I took him by the left leg
And threw him down the stairs..."

***

"There was a man in our town
And he was wondrous wise
He jumped into a bramble bush
And scratched out both his eyes..."

The art nouveau illustrations are equally mad - no chubby-cheeked Disney smiles here, but screaming children, weapon-wielding thieves, and callous spirits toying with the terrestrial. Arthur Rackham fans will especially enjoy the style. That said, I had a profound (perhaps sick) fascination with it as a child and still do. I was usually upset easily by violence, but I would pore over the images for (what seemed like) hours as a young child, and I think that helped blunt the brutality of the texts once I was old enough to read them.

It's Medieval and Victorian art and wit in all their glory. It makes you realize that Jack breaking his crown is also quite horrible when you think about it, but looking back on your childhood, would you forego him and Jill?

This 1968 version is beautiful! I received it as a gift as a child, and the illustrations are colorful and beautiful. It's a sturdy, well-bound book with pages that are almost as thick as card stock. It has 125 pages and has plenty of nursery rhymes that aren't common knowledge. It has both a page-by-page table of contents as well as an alphabetical one. It also has a "This book belongs to" page which I would recommend signing and dedicating to the recipient. I won my copy for having been a spelling bee runner-up, and all the teachers in the school signed it.

We all somehow know (many) of the Mother Goose stories. Before buying this book I had forgotten how strange they are. Are they strange because they are old or just because they were meant to be? No matter the reason they are good fun short stories with charming little illustrations. I wish someone still made children's clothes that look like these drawings do!

This is the Mother Goose of my children's generation. It was always a favorite. The illustrations are humorous and not too frightening (as in "A Real Mother Goose." This book is beloved by all three of my children, and was often their bedtime story pick well into elementary school. I would recommend this book to any parent looking for a comprehensive Mother Goose.

PURCHASED MY FIRST BOOK BACK IN 1982 WHEN MY FIRST CHILD WAS BORN - SHE LOVED IT SO MUCH AND NOW READS IT TO HER FIRST BORN CHILD. A CLASSIC THAT NEVER IS OUTDATED THAT CHILDREN WILL LOVE FOREVER. THE NURSERY RHYMES ARE THE BEGINNING OF THEIR LITTLE MINDS LEARNING TO SAY WORDS AND THEN BEGINNING TO SING THEM. A MUST FOR EVERY HOME WITH CHILDREN.

So many memories of this book with my children! Wonderful illustrations for receptive language. The picture of Mother Goose's house on the inside cover with so many details, especially the cat asleep under the bench by the door was a favorite. I gave this book to many, many friends for years and invariably it became a favorite. Though I kept an old copy which I gave to my first grandchild, I now have three more grandchildren. Wish that it would be reprinted. I would stock up! We also enjoyed other Gyo Fujikawa illustrated books.

This book is in excellent condition and is exactly as I remember it as a child. It has brought fond memories back and I am sure my god children will enjoy it as much as myself and my brothers did growing up.