The Which and Whyfore of Mother Goose

When I was a young mother, I did not enjoy nursery rhymes overly much. I thought they were nonsense; at best not worthwhile, and at worst, difficult to explain to my very literal daughter who wanted to know what everything meant. I figured they were just something used to keep young children busy at preschool.  Then I started reading about how nursery rhymes aid in teh development of language. And I started thinking about how they are part of our cultural heritage, how without a knowledge of them, our children will  miss references in literature and popular culture. Like when Basil Crawford infuriated Mary by singing "Mistress Mary, quite contrary" in The Secret Garden. Or realizing that Pa Ingalls wasn't just making things up on the banks of Plum Creek when he sang,  

 "Mary put the dishes on,
The dishes on, the dishes on,
Mary put the dishes on,
We'll all take tea!"

But that it actually came from the old rhyme, Polly Put the Kettle on. Furthermore, all the experts agree that the rhyming patterns and vocabulary of Mother Goose are beneficial to language acquisition.  All this to say, your children will love nursery rhymes and become baby geniuses if you read some Mother Goose to them. Which begs the question, which version to buy???

The content of any two Mother Goose or Nursery Rhyme books will mostly be the same; however, there are one or two things regarding the text to keep in mind when choosing one:

1. It is mighty handy to have some sort of alphabetical title index, so you don't have thumb through/skim all 250 rhymes to find Little Bo Peep. Again. 
2. There are some variations in wording among these rhymes. If you are able, you may want to look up one or two of your favorites or most well known ones, and see if they are the same in the book you are considering. In one of my books, after falling down the hill, Jack  

"Went to bed to mend his head"

 But in another, he went

 "To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob."

After that, the only other consideration is which illustrations you like best. Here is my list of eight that I believe are worthy of consideration.

1. Lavender's Blue - This was the first book of nursery rhymes I ever bought for my children, and I chose it because it was the only one in print at the time with the type of vintage illustrations that I love. Harold Jones' pictures are reminiscent of Kate Greenway's, and we have really enjoyed them. There is an index of first lines in the back, as well as some hints on "games" to play with the rhymes - think: This Little Piggy. 

The pages alternate between black and white and full color. My copy is hardcover, which I feel is a necessary investment for a book that is sure to be much-handled and well-loved.

2. The Real Mother Goose illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright. This book is the one suggested or included in several popular homeschool curriculum. I (ok, my kids) were gifted a hardcover copy by a very good friend many years ago. I will admit that initially, I did not care for the illustrations, but they have grown on me since then. The pictures are all in color, and every fourth page boasts a full page spread.

 The biggest problem I have with this book is that there is no index. There is a table of contents, but since there is no rhyme or reason to the way the poems are placed, it really doesn't do any good. There are 272 rhymes on over 120 pages - it would be nice not to have to flip through the entire thing in search of a particular one.

  The third and last copy I (currently) own is Marguerite de Angeli's Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes. Besides the fact that I am a huge fan of everything de Angeli has done (note to self: future blog post), I had the added bonus of purchasing this book for a mere $0.75 at a local Goodwill store. I gotta tell you, I just love treasure hunting!

There are A TON of rhymes in this volume - over 180 pages worth, with an alphabetical index in the back. The illustrations are mostly pencil drawings, some full sized, and about 20 full-color, full-page pictures. If you can get your hands on one of these, I do not think you would be disappointed. 

4. The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose - apparently this was once published as The Random House Book of Mother Goose, so if you find that, you'll be getting the same thing. I bought this at a used book store recently, intending to give it to a friend who is expecting her first baby, but I am afraid I will have a hard time giving it up! Lobel's illustrations always have a nostalgic feeling and calming affect, despite their brightness and fun.

(If you're seeing that image upside-down, I cannot for my life figure out why, or how to change it.) There is an alphabetical index of first lines in the back, all pictures are in color, many full page. Seriously, I think I need my own copy.

These next few books are ones I do not own, because even I exercise restrain *some*time. But they are all illustrated by popular, well loved artists, and would be excellent additions to any library.

5. The Jessie Wilcox Smith Mother Goose  - Smith, one of "the most prominent female illustrators in the United States during the Golden Age of American Illustration," created the kind of soft look that works so well in children's books, without being overly sweet or sentimental, in the way some of her predecessors.  My favorite versions of Heidi and A Child's Garden of Verses are adorned with her illustrations.

6. Tomie de Paola's Mother Goose - it seems that people either love Tomie, or hate him, but if you love him, why not pick up this book? In fact, I have a strong suspicion that this one IS actually hiding around my house somewhere...Simple and colorful, most children {heart} Tomie's illustrations.

 
 
7. Mother Goose by Tasha Tudor - Do not think that being last on my list means least! Caldecott Honoree Tasha Tudor may be one of the most loved modern illustrators. Her nostalgic depictions of smiling children and happy families have me picking up her books whenever I find them, for the illustrations alone, wholly regardless of the written content. And while her volume of Mother Goose does not appear to be currently in print, I do not believe it is that hard to find.
                                 
                                           

So - if you don't already have one of these fine volumes, go get one. And no, those are NOT Amazon affiliate links, so feel free to buy them from whomever you please ;)