Title: Favorite Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose
Illustrator: Scott Gustafson
Age Group: 0-10
Synopsis: Original nursery rhymes with illustrations full of magic.
The Low Down:
About six months ago, I realized we didn’t have a book of nursery rhymes. I remember fondly of sitting and flipping through a book of nursery rhymes as a child, gazing at the pictures and pondering the odd turns of phrase that were used. I wanted to give that to Bug, a building block for his love of literature. I wanted to give him a story that he didn’t need me to read for him, as he would know the words from verses. I wanted him to have something that he could think of fondly for when he had children. Essentially, I wanted to pass on the gift that nursery rhymes are to the next generation. Oddly, I didn’t do this. My mother and I were discussing it this summer and she said that it was something she’d like to buy for Bug. So, I left it in her capable hands. When we received the book, I knew I made the right decision. Just opening the paper revealed how many hours she’d spent pouring over books, trying to find the perfect one. It’s magical, it’s thorough, it’s just what I wanted to introduce Bug to this niche of the literary world.
Nursery rhymes aren’t just archaic verses we teach our children at random. They’ve retained their value through the years not only due to word and sentence structure but allowing children to practice pitch, rhyming, and allowing them to expand their imaginations. As a child, and really even now as an adult, I had no idea what some of these words and phrases meant. Tuffet or cock-horse? I must admit I’ve spent more time online looking up these meanings, now that I need to explain them to my son but for the longest time I didn’t know what they were and that’s ok. These words may not mean anything to us but the rhymes and phonic manipulation are an integral part beginning language skills. The ability to differentiate between syllabic changes is a stepping stone for initial reading patterns and just one of the fun side effects of learning nursery rhymes.
Another added bonus is the cultural bonding. We moved an ocean away from where we grew up but still are able to fit in (most of the time) when singing or reciting nursery rhymes with kids in Bug’s classes. Although, I’ll never get used to “a tissue, a tissue” in Ring Around the Rosie here. It’s not only shared culture, it’s shared history. For each of the nursery rhymes has their own historical reference. Their own secret code, if you will, to referring to moments that passed centuries ago.
I mentioned that I remembered looking at the pictures in the book we had. It must have been published in the seventies or eighties because the pea green border on the cover is something I’ll always remember. The copy we received from my mother is not like the copy I had when I was younger. The illustrations are breathtaking. The details applied to the characters, places them in a world that looks as though you could merely step through the pages or that the characters could step off them. The use of color is soft but at the same time engaging, a perfect combination for a children’s book that could be read from younger years onward. The characters are all draped in bright themed costumes that reveal which time period they come from, a 17th century wig on one page and a modern day dress on another. Gustafson also uses a combination of animals and people to illustrate the rhymes and while some depict a medieval time period, others are more modern. The people he uses are more diverse than in the book I had, which makes me smile and the combination of that and animals makes it more relateable for children. The settings seem as if they could be in my own backyard, as Gustafson has opted for a provincial English countryside and towns, complete with stone walls, cobbled streets, and thatched roofs. I could easily spend my own hours gazing as this compilation.
While many of the nursery rhymes are in their original form in the book I had, there were those that had be gentled for young readers, most specifically “The Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe.” The book we received from Bug shocked me at first with its line: “she whipped them all soundly, and sent them to bed.” I always remember it as: “kissed them all soundly and sent them to bed.” I’m not worried about the original being included, as all it will really require is a discussion with Bug when he understands the meaning. That, I’ll be able to share all these things with him and that it will lead to a conversation that will help shape who he is, is just another reason why this book will always be a treasure.
Story Tips:
- If your child is older, than you can use nursery rhymes in other fabulous ways. My favorite growing up (and still now) is a song called: “The Second Story Window” or “The Window.” I’ve flipped through YouTube and can’t really find one I like. They’re all a bit different than what I had growing up. And nostalgia is wonderful. Essentially each person take a turn coming up with a nursery rhyme and fits it into the lyrics, I.e.:
“Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater had a wife and couldn’t keep her,
put her in a pumpkin shell and threw her out the window.
The window, the window, the second story window
think of a rhyme we’ll sing it in time and throw it out the window.”
The hours of competitive car rides that took place are still legendary and whenever I find a new nursery rhyme I still secretly try to squirrel it away for this song. That being said, you MUST have a nursery rhyme for the song. No trying to put “Wheels on the Bus” in here.
I need more!
If you love Scott Gustafson’s illustrations as much as I do, check out his books: Classic Bedtime Stories, Classic Fairy Tales, and Eddie: The Lost Youth of Edgar Allan Poe his website: http://www.scottgustafson.com/books/
Add to my library:
UK Amazon: Favorite Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose
US Amazon: Favorite Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose
