The Glorious Mother Goose Reissue

by Cooper Edens

This glorious edition of classic rhymes feature some of the best artwork by L. Leslie Brooke, Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway, John Lawson, Arthur Rackham, and many others.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Nursery Rhymes, Fiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustration!

[Andrea Sobel]

Title: The Glorious Mother Goose
Author: Cooper Edens
Illustrator: Various artists
Genre: Nursery Rhymes
Theme(s): Poetry, Mother Goose
Opening line/sentence: “The true identity of Mother Goose, if any, may never be determined, but perhaps that is for the best.”
Brief Book Summary: A collection of more than 40 mother goose nursery rhymes including classics such as mary had a little lamb, humpty dumpty sat on a wall, and much more.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)
(2) K-3 1988. Drawing from a rich store of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century illustrations, Edens has made a splendid selection that will evoke nostalgia in older readers and provide joyous images for future generations of youngsters. Whether it is Kate Greenaway's enchantingly clothed little girls or Arthur Rackham's angular and darkly lit figures, each picture is a gem.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: (Children’s Literature –Carolyn Mott Ford)
Some rhymes are soothing, some are lilting, some tell a story, and others contain a moral, but they are all well known and loved by generations of children. Forty-two favorites are included in this collection of Mother Goose rhymes. What makes this volume stand apart? The illustrations. Artists from the past are represented, including Kate Greenaway, Jennie Harbour, L. Leslie Brooke and Randolph Caldecott. Many of the verses are illustrated by two artists. The beloved "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is accompanied by a dreamy, star-framed picture by Marjory Hood and a winsome illustration by Margaret Tarrant. "Rain, Rain, Go Away" is illustrated by a black-and-white 1897 Gordon Browne drawing and a 1913 Arthur Rackham interpretation. A 1916 Milo Winter full-color illustration shows Humpty Dumpty as a dome-headed gentleman sporting spats, while a 1920 Paul Woodroffe black-and-white drawing depicts him as a court jester. These nursery rhymes and their illustrations will be enjoyed by a new generation of youngsters, while the illustrations will especially intrigue their parents and grandparents.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both the professional reviews say how this is a great version of the mother goose rhymes. I agree that the various illustrations throughout the book help make the book unique. This book is great for the whole family because of the illustrations used from the early 1900’s and also later more colorful depictions of each nursery rhyme.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The author chooses to incorporate various illustrators to create the artwork for this version of a mother goose collection. The artwork is this book help make this book succeed ands stand out from other mother goose books. Each rhyme has two illustrations one in black and white and another in color. Both illustrations depict the nursery rhyme in different ways and give the reader a different sense of the rhyme.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book could be used in an elementary school classroom to analyze the mother goose rhymes. Also, this book could be used to analyze the different illustrations in the book. The students could compare and contrast the black and white pictures to the more modern colorful pictures. This would create great discussion and allow the students to be creative and also engage in research.

[Skilbane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The glorious mother goose is a book filled with many old tales and fables that involve animals and people. It also consisted of many songs and rhymes that I remember hearing as a child. In my opinion the book was average. I think it is a good book to show children all the different tales and rhymes that have been passed down for generations. But, I didn't think the pictures in the book were very colorful or would be very entertaining for children. So all in all this book is an average children's book, but I still think it should be read to children just because of all the famous tales that are in it.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of pretty illustrations in here, some much prettier than others. The illustrations include both well-known (at least among the vintage fairy tale lovers) to ones that I've never seen or heard of. It doesn't seem that easy to get some of these anywhere else, so I'm glad to have this.

(My used copy has written in it: Ward.)

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not just a selection of nursery rhymes; it includes illustrations from all the finest editions of the past. You will want to linger over these pictures, again and again, every time you read the poems aloud to your child.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up I loved this book. It was one that I read over and over again. I love the juxtaposition of the illustrations that accompany each rhyme with artwork spanning from the late 1800's through the early 1900's.

A must for any children's library.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading some of the classic nursery rhymes.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's not to like about mother goose? Just Rock-a-Bye. That is such a creepy poem. Why do we tell that one to kids anyway?

[Don Gubler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mother Goose rocks.