The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose: A Treasury of More Than 300 Classic Nursery Rhymes [Hardcover]

Arnold Lobel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 11, 2003 | Age Level: 0 and up

Knopf is proud to reissue the complete and unabridged Arnold Lobel-illustrated treasury of Mother Goose rhymes, originally published in 1986 as The Random House Book of Mother Goose and unavailable for several years. Reviewers were unanimous in their acclaim of a collection "brimming over with energy...distinguished by abundant humor and a rich variety of moods and styles" (School Library Journal, starred review). The beloved creator of the Frog and Toad books included 306 nursery rhymes--several hundred more than any other quality edition of Mother Goose--and "all are illustrated in a cornucopia of drawings which demonstrates the range of [his] technique and imagination" (Kirkus Reviews). The New York Times Book Review called it "brilliant," while The Washington Post Book World praised it as "surely one of the most satisfying nursery-rhyme books ever made."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose (1986), originally published as The Random House Book of Mother Goose, appears here in a complete and unabridged edition with more than 300 nursery rhymes, all illustrated in Lobel's distinctive style, whether he is winking at the audience (as in "Three blind mice," when he reveals that the trio can see) or acknowledging the sky's starry splendor in "Hey diddle, diddle."
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Mother Goose glows with renewed youth, thanks to the genius of Arnold Lobel. His illustrations are so abundant, and so full of color, fun, and imagination, that the book is not to be missed.”–The New Yorker

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 0 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679887369
• ISBN-13: 978-0679887362
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.7 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars London Bridge is something down..., March 18, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose: A Treasury of More Than 300 Classic Nursery Rhymes (Hardcover)

In the long and varied history of Ms. Mother Goose, so many collections and books of nursery rhymes have been made that it's a wonder anyone keeps track anymore. Certainly I was a child when this particular treasury originally came out and until my current grown state I'd never even heard of it. Illustrated by Arnold Lobel (the nice man who introduced the world to "Frog and Toad") this book is nothing if not extensive. It runs the gamut of rhymes, from classics like "Three Blind Mice" to limericks to tongue-twisters. It is a breathtaking achievement.

Many a nursery rhyme book, if extensive, will place two or three rhymes on a page and choose to illustrate only one. Not so Mr. Lobel. It is with great manual dexterity that he has found ways to merge, combine and bring together like-rhymes so as to combine their illustrations into a single motif. Consider his page containing romantic poems. Under around and through a single arbor dwell characters that act out such poems as "Something old, something new", "I love coffee", "Roses are red", and "If you love me, love me true". Poems about the weather, food, and royalty are similarly grouped. Longer poems, such as the classic "Partridge in a pear tree" are given full page multi-spreads. Lobel is nothing if not meticulous in his craft.

I did have an occasional objection. Though the book is expertly indexed, there is not so much as an author's note or preface explaining where he got these poems. The title page merely reads, "Selected and illustrated by Arnold Lobel", with scant attention to exactly WHERE he got them. This isn't idle curiosity either. More than one of these poems contains wordings different from those known to the pubic at large. For example, instead of the poem "London Bridge is falling down" we read that "London Bridge is broken down". Or smaller changes, such as making a ha' penny a half penny in "Christmas is coming".

Diligent parents beware. This book abounds with capital punishment and death. Much like the early fairy tales, nursery rhymes weren't always for the kiddie set. Adults liked them just as much. In the edition I happened to borrow from the library, some extraordinarily concerned parents took offense to a couple phrases in "This is the house that Jack built" (changing "That killed the rat" to "That bumped the rat" and "That waked the priest all shaved and shorn" to "That waked the minister all shaved and shorn"). Oog.

In the end, this is really a fabulous collection. The illustrations are adept (containing some very funny interpretations as well) and the rhymes not only familiar but enjoyable. If you don't mind the occasional change to the text here and there it is well worth your casual perusal and enjoyment.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely complete collection!, May 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose: A Treasury of More Than 300 Classic Nursery Rhymes (Hardcover)

I bought this when my son was a baby, but just brought it out now that he is three. Both of us have really enjoyed it. It has all the rythmes I was familair with plus so many I didn't know. I also now found an old source (Mother Goose) of some Barney songs we know! I particularly like that the illustrations are beautiful and truly representative of the rythme. So many other books dress animals up like people to illustrate Mother Goose. I like rythmes about little boys to show little boys and not pigs! This has confused my son. I highly recommend it and have since given it to several friends with small children.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of rhymes, but not the mother goose I remember!, February 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose: A Treasury of More Than 300 Classic Nursery Rhymes (Hardcover)

There are lots of rhymes in this book, but I wouldn't consider them all Mother Goose (the itsy bitsy spider, yankee doodle etc.) Also some of the rhymes don't seem quite right-- the end of "Ring around the Rosies" is "hush, hush, hush, hush, we've all tumbled down". Some of the differences hurt the rhythm of the rhymes, too. Maybe these are just regional variations, but it wasn't what I expected. The illustrations are nice, though.