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Tomie's Little Mother Goose
This board book of classic nursery rhymes introduces children to the magic of Mother Goose!
Heartwarming illustrations and over 24 traditional rhymes and verses -- taken from the classic versions -- will delight babies, toddlers, and parents alike. This charming board book lovingly brings to life Little Miss Muffett, Humpty Dumpty, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, and Little Boy Blue, as well as a host of other favorites for children to laugh with and treasure. This Mother Goose collection is the perfect addition to any family's library.
Heartwarming illustrations and over 24 traditional rhymes and verses -- taken from the classic versions -- will delight babies, toddlers, and parents alike. This charming board book lovingly brings to life Little Miss Muffett, Humpty Dumpty, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, and Little Boy Blue, as well as a host of other favorites for children to laugh with and treasure. This Mother Goose collection is the perfect addition to any family's library.
34 pages, Board book
First published May 19, 1997
About the author
Iona Opie
43 books33 followersIona Margaret Balfour Archibald was born in Colchester, Essex, England. She was a researcher and writer on folklore and children's street culture. She is considered an authority on children's rhymes, street and playground games and the Mother Goose tradition. She was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 1998 and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1999.
The couple met during World War II and married on 2 September 1943. The couple worked together closely, from their home near Farnham, Surrey, conducting primary fieldwork, library research, and interviews of thousands of children. In pursuing the folklore of contemporary childhood they directly recorded rhymes and games in real time as they were being sung, chanted, or played. Working from their home in Alton, Hampshire they collaborated on several celebrated books and produced over 30 works. The couple were jointly awarded the Coote Lake Medal in 1960. The medal is awarded by The Folklore Society "for outstanding research and scholarship".
Speaking in 2010, Iona speaks of working with her husband as being "like two of us in a very small boat and each had an oar and we were trying to row across the Atlantic." and that "[W]e would never discuss ideas verbally except very late at night."
Iona Opie died in 2017.
The couple met during World War II and married on 2 September 1943. The couple worked together closely, from their home near Farnham, Surrey, conducting primary fieldwork, library research, and interviews of thousands of children. In pursuing the folklore of contemporary childhood they directly recorded rhymes and games in real time as they were being sung, chanted, or played. Working from their home in Alton, Hampshire they collaborated on several celebrated books and produced over 30 works. The couple were jointly awarded the Coote Lake Medal in 1960. The medal is awarded by The Folklore Society "for outstanding research and scholarship".
Speaking in 2010, Iona speaks of working with her husband as being "like two of us in a very small boat and each had an oar and we were trying to row across the Atlantic." and that "[W]e would never discuss ideas verbally except very late at night."
Iona Opie died in 2017.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 1, 2025
A collection of nursery rhymes, we liked most of them! Who knew the last little piggy cried “wee wee wee” because he couldn’t find his way home!
May 28, 2009
Tomie dePaola's artwork is in a genre all its own, with round heads and line-drawn figures that look like they might have been shaped from clay. This is a colorful collection of traditional Mother Goose rhymes, perfect for the transition from the toddler stage in which the book is more of a toy, to the read-aloud stage, even if the child doesn't understand everything being read. Mother Goose has the advantage of being lyrical and rhythmic, and many of the rhymes have tunes. As children get older they will also acquire a bit of cultural literacy, since phrases from Mother Goose often appear in literature and other kinds of discourse.
This volume don't include all the verses to different rhymes, but rather introduces the most-recognized refrain of each one. The cadence changes quickly from rhyme to rhyme, and the rhymes that are songs are interspersed well among those that are spoken, providing the best advantage to entice a very young child to sit still. A good choice for a gift or for your own child.
This volume don't include all the verses to different rhymes, but rather introduces the most-recognized refrain of each one. The cadence changes quickly from rhyme to rhyme, and the rhymes that are songs are interspersed well among those that are spoken, providing the best advantage to entice a very young child to sit still. A good choice for a gift or for your own child.
August 19, 2024
I won't lie until I read this to my daughter, I didn't realize how many nursery rhymes from my childhood were Mother Goose. I was just taught them, and they stuck!
February 18, 2020
“Adorable.”
Ages 3-5. Because this is a board book, this is a much-abbreviated version of classic Mother Goose tales. When I first started reading it, I felt a little confused and wondered if my confusion was due to the fact that this was a shortened version. I picked up the complete version from the public library the following day, and while that version did provide more Mother Goose rhymes, it did not provide any more clarity on the meaning of the rhymes. After the comparison was verified, I went into the reading of this collection with an open mind (and less critical vision). The verdict: it’s an adorable collection that achieves the goal I think it originally set out to do: introduce rhyme and stories without too deep of meanings to children.
The illustrations in this small Mother Goose companion are cute. I was unfamiliar with dePaola’s work prior to reading this collection, and according to, well, the internet he is one of the better Mother Goose illustrators. While most times the illustrations did enhance the reading of the story, other times I still found myself just as confused. On some pages, it appeared that they (the publisher? dePaola himself?) tried to jam too many rhymes onto one page to save space. I think stories like this would be best digested by younger children (the intended audience) one at a time, and instead in some places as many as 3 rhymes were featured on a single board page.
On its second reading, I can understand the timeless allure of Mother Goose. As I continued my reading, I found that I actually knew many of these rhymes by heart without realizing they were Mother Goose tales (I blame my own ignorance and my hippie parents’ choices of alternative children’s books).
dePaola, Tomie. Tomie’s Little Mother Goose. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1985.
Ages 3-5. Because this is a board book, this is a much-abbreviated version of classic Mother Goose tales. When I first started reading it, I felt a little confused and wondered if my confusion was due to the fact that this was a shortened version. I picked up the complete version from the public library the following day, and while that version did provide more Mother Goose rhymes, it did not provide any more clarity on the meaning of the rhymes. After the comparison was verified, I went into the reading of this collection with an open mind (and less critical vision). The verdict: it’s an adorable collection that achieves the goal I think it originally set out to do: introduce rhyme and stories without too deep of meanings to children.
The illustrations in this small Mother Goose companion are cute. I was unfamiliar with dePaola’s work prior to reading this collection, and according to, well, the internet he is one of the better Mother Goose illustrators. While most times the illustrations did enhance the reading of the story, other times I still found myself just as confused. On some pages, it appeared that they (the publisher? dePaola himself?) tried to jam too many rhymes onto one page to save space. I think stories like this would be best digested by younger children (the intended audience) one at a time, and instead in some places as many as 3 rhymes were featured on a single board page.
On its second reading, I can understand the timeless allure of Mother Goose. As I continued my reading, I found that I actually knew many of these rhymes by heart without realizing they were Mother Goose tales (I blame my own ignorance and my hippie parents’ choices of alternative children’s books).
dePaola, Tomie. Tomie’s Little Mother Goose. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1985.
July 12, 2018
A board book full of mother goose nursery rhmes. simply printed and easy to follow. baby and up
January 1, 2021
One of my son's favorites!
January 1, 2023
The pictures were interesting, but mom thought some of the rhymes were different than she remembered and she also found a spelling error! Also, I got bored by the end.
January 9, 2026
Very well illustrated.
June 4, 2026
Why are some of them just wrong? To its credit, though, after reading it a couple dozen times I can now sing some of the rhymes by heart as baby settles to sleep
September 30, 2015
good collection of nursery rhymes. all have pictures to go with it. I've read lots of mother goose books, this one has a good variety and cute pictures, so better than most, but I'm not rushing out to buy the book... and in actually not putting it on my wish list either. (that's probably because I have a book that was given to me with more nursery rhymes in it, but this one is a board book, so if you want to buy one, this is a good one).
February 21, 2012
DePaola's drawings are legendary and delightful. This collection of nursery rhymes is a good mix of the best of Mother Goose. The rhymes flow together nicely making it good read out loud book for the littlest ones. Toddlers will still enjoy the rhymes and the pictures offer just the amount of bold color and movement.
May 3, 2010
Old Mother Goose arrives when the sun is bright and when the stories rhymes have been told she leaves in the moonlight. Lots of well told rhymes are included such as: Humpty Dumpty, Little Boy Blue, Little Miss Muffet, and Three little kittens.
April 26, 2008
Kudos to this book for excluding the more violent Mother Goose rhymes, rendering it more appropriate for the boardbook-reading population.
August 13, 2010
An oldie but a goodie.
January 1, 2012
A small number of traditional Mother Goose rhymes with unique artwork. It's cute, and that's about it.
February 12, 2013
This is a great book that includes a lot of favorite nursery rhymes. My students love to listen to these and chime in when they can.
January 23, 2016
Weak versions of great stories.
December 28, 2016
The kids love it...so long as you sing the rhymes. Otherwise, gtfo.
May 23, 2017
Decent selection of Mother Goose rhymes. Some have slightly strange wording (compared to how mom learned them). Baa baa Black Sheep is our favorite
August 14, 2009
Lots of short rhymes in a little book.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews