Customer Reviews

Mother Goose: The Original Volland Edition

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the definitive collection of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. If you love words and language, this is for you. This book has all the old favorites and many that you've never heard. Compare them with the modern versions of the same rhymes and you'll see how society has changed--as well as our attitudes about children.

To be culturally literate, English speakers should know their Mother Goose. Beware, however: These are not bowdlerized. Sometimes violent, always reflective of a rougher time, this book is perhaps not best for the casual reader just looking for a few rhymes. With my daughter (22 months), I pick and choose which ones I read. She loves them.

"Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye..."

This is one of those classics that I want my children to grow up with. These beautiful illustrations are enchanting and are beautifully presented with the original rhymes in lovely, old-style typeset. Delightful!

I was so thrilled to find this version of Mother Goose still in print. I had this book as a child, and I can close my eyes and still see the gorgeous illustrations. I am 33 years old now, and expecting my first baby, and when I saw this book on Amazon.com ... I had to buy it immediately. My copy is dog-eared and covered in crayon and the binding is shot. Not only is owning this book again nostalgic for me, but I look forward to reading it to my baby as my parents read it to me. It's not watered down Mother Goose. These rhymes reflect a different era and there is a bit of violence in a few of them. But I read them from a very young age without incident and I plan on letting my child enjoy this book as I did.

My daughters are 17 and 14 years old. I started reading from this book when they were one and younger. We all loved the beautiful illustrations. Unfortunately our book is well worn. I have been looking for this book that I might give each of my daughters a copy when they have children. I also would like to give this book as a baby gift. This is my favorite Mother Goose book. I have not found any other that even compares.

This is my 22-month-old daughter's favorite book - out of literally hundreds in her infant library. But we don't let her handle it or she will ruin the gorgeous illustrations. Unlike the beloved classic THE REAL MOTHER GOOSE (CARTWHEEL BOOKS) where only half the nursery rhymes are illustrated, and some of those illustrations are trivial line drawings, this book gives us one beautiful full-page (6.5"x8.5") impressionist watercolor painting for each rhyme. Every parent knows there is a big difference in enjoyment of the rhymes that have their own illustrations; so much so that when reading from the Cartwheel Mother Goose, I usually just skip the non-illustrated ones. Even the typeface is lovely; I wish they identified it. As one who must read out loud every day, I really appreciate having something pleasant to admire while rattling off the the now-memorized verses. This edition is like a combination of Mother Goose and a coffee-table Art Book. It's such a treasure I am tempted to buy a cheap used copy just so our master can be preserved. Derrydale is to be commended for keeping this gem in print. Parents bored with the Cartwheel Mother Goose should look to this edition for a superior alternative. My daughter likes both, but she likes this one best. The only downside to the comparison is that this edition contains 112 rhymes, whereas the Cartwheel has 300.

My son doesn't like this version, as the words don't match the rhymes he hears from grandparents, parents, friends, cousins, babysitters, and even tapes and videos. He prefers a cheesy "Sesame Street" board book of nursery rhymes to this version. I bought it thinking it would be more true to the original. But I missed the point! The oral tradition is what matters, not historic authenticity.

Illustrations are beautiful, though.

My siblings and I were brought up reading the original - I mean the original - Mother Goose. It was published in 1915 and had a green cover. I wanted to buy a replacement for my tattered, taped, and well worn original - I would have to get over the yellow cover (which turned out to be white) - so that my Grandson would have a ball reading these slightly warped tales. Well, this book does not compare well with the original 1915 book. Although the book is accurate as far as content goes, the fine reproduction of the 1915 book is missing here. So much so that I am guessing that the new publishers slapped loose pages from the original into a cheap scanner, flipped the switch and hoped for the best. Black lines look almost rubber stamped and the colors are universally washed out as compared with my 1915 edition.
If you remember the original, you will be disappointed with this reproduction. If you do not remember the original, then this book will entertain and surprise the kid in you and the kids with you.

This book has nearly every melodious, mad Mother Goose rhyme, from the familiar to the less known:

"I met a little old man
Who wouldn't say his prayers
I took him by the left leg
And threw him down the stairs..."

***

"There was a man in our town
And he was wondrous wise
He jumped into a bramble bush
And scratched out both his eyes..."


The art nouveau illustrations are equally mad - no chubby-cheeked Disney smiles here, but screaming children, weapon-wielding thieves, and callous spirits toying with the terrestrial. Arthur Rackham fans will especially enjoy the style. That said, I had a profound (perhaps sick) fascination with it as a child and still do. I was usually upset easily by violence, but I would pore over the images for (what seemed like) hours as a young child, and I think that helped blunt the brutality of the texts once I was old enough to read them.

It's Medieval and Victorian art and wit in all their glory. It makes you realize that Jack breaking his crown is also quite horrible when you think about it, but looking back on your childhood, would you forego him and Jill?

This edition of Mother Goose is ugly ugly ugly. It's more of a typewriter-written photocopy, with an offensive, stiff, shiny cover, than it is a real book. There isn't much in it either. I adore the rhymes but the reading experience was unsatisfactory. I could have read Mother Goose online with equal frustration for free .

This is the best Mother Goose edition out there! I am so glad to have found it again, thanks to Amazon.
Nora Buys