Nursery Rhymes of Newfoundland and Labrador

by Robin McGrath

Boulder Publications is proud to release a book families will Nursery Rhymes of Newfoundland & Labrador, compiled and edited by award-winning author Robin McGrath.
This collection brings together for the first time three hundred Newfoundland and Labrador rhymes, charms and riddles. Many are well known and have been passed down to generations of children and adults, while others are contemporary.
Most of the verses contain a community, personal name, or linguistic structure that identifies them as being unique to Newfoundland and Labrador. Others retain the rhythms and wording they had upon arriving with settlers from England, Ireland, France and Scotland.
Decorative cast cuts, originally used by Long Brothers hand presses in St. John s, illustrate the pages of this highly enjoyable and important book. Explanatory notes clarify the origins of many of these delightful nursery rhymes. Several blank pages are included at the back of each book to allow readers to write down their own family verses.
Nursery Rhymes of Newfoundland & Labrador is the culmination of many years of research by Robin McGrath, who is the author of twelve other book titles, including Escaped Domestics and Donovan s Station.

104 pages, Hardcover

First published December 14, 2004

Reviews

[Jacqueline]

Found this quote from the introduction interesting: "Contrary to popular belief, nursery rhymes are not written by or for children - they are generally part of the adult world and are co-opted by children who appreciate their simplicity or are merely fascinated by the enigmatic sound of the words."
I like the notes at the end of the book, though I would have preferred the notes actually included by the rhymes they are about. It makes the rhymes more meaningful. There is a fair bit of history packed into the rhymes.