The Helen Oxenbury Nursery Collection

by Helen Oxenbury

THE HELEN OXENBURY Nursery Collection brings together a wealth of nursery stories and rhymes, vividly brought to life by one of today’s foremost illustrators. With newly reproduced artwork, this treasury includes both traditional verses and classic stories, from Sing a Song of Sixpence to Little Red Riding Hood . An instant classic, with lively, humorous illustrations that are sure to win the hearts of very young chiildren.

Praise for The Helen Oxenbury Nursery Story Book :

“An essential part of any young child’s library.”— Parents Magazine

“Oxenbury’s visual style is extraordinarily comfortable and will be enthusiastically welcomed by young listeners.”— School Library Journal

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry, Nursery Rhymes

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Married to John Burningham

Born in 1938 and growing up in Ipswich, England, Helen Oxenbury loved nothing more than drawing. As a teenager, she entered art school and basked in the pleasure of drawing, and nothing but drawing, all day. During vacations she helped out at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre workshop, mixing paints for set designers. It was there that she decided her future lay in theater design.

While studying costume design, however, Helen Oxenbury was told by a teacher, "This is hopeless, you know. You ought to go and do illustrations--you're much more interested in the character, and we don't know who's going to play the part!"


But sets and scenery, not books, remained Helen Oxenbury's preoccupation for several more years as she embarked on careers in theater, film, and TV. After marrying John Burningham, another of the world's most eminent children's book illustrators, and giving birth to their first child, at last she turned to illustrating children's books. "When I had babies," Helen Oxenbury says, "I wanted to be home with them and look for something to do there."


Today, Helen Oxenbury is among the most popular and critically acclaimed illustrators of her time. Her numerous books for children include the Greenaway Medal-winning ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and its companion, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, both by Lewis Carroll; Smarties Book Prize-winning FARMER DUCK by Martin Waddell; SO MUCH by Trish Cooke; as well as her classic board books for babies. More recently, she collaborated with author Phyllis Root on the jubilant, no-nonsense tall tale BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD. "As I read Phyllis's text, I imagined Big Momma as part Buddha, part housewife," she says. "It was intimidating to create a whole world, but very enjoyable."


And what does she love most about her work? Thinking up new ideas? Seeing the finished book? Not at all. For Helen, "The best part is when I think I know what I'm doing and I've completed a few drawings. In fact, when I get about a third of the way through, and I feel I'm on my way, then I'm happy. It's like reading a good book--you don't want it to end."


Helen Oxenbury and her husband make their home in London, where the illustrator works in a nearby studio. She is also an avid tennis player.

Reviews

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a familiar collection, I think I may have been read as a child. I liked the nursery rhymes included in the beginning. The stories were all the best known tales like red riding hood, goldilocks, billy goats gruff, the turnip and Henny Penny. The writing style is colorful and traditional with some non-G rated endings that involve animals eating each other.

[The Children · Rating 3 out of 5]

odd choices of mother goose rhymes--"baby and I were baked in a pie..." what? And the murderous versions of the fairy tales... The Children kept requesting it though

[Sung Ju · Rating 5 out of 5]

It brought back memories from childhood nursery stories. (aka srories mom read to me at bedtime)

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful collection by Helen Oxenbury contains poems, nursery rhymes and short fairytales and folktales that are all just the right length to read aloud. A fabulous baby gift.

[Guen · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are not the stories the way I remember them. The author seems to have taken quite a lot of liberty with the stories.