The Space Child's Mother Goose [Hardcover]

Frederick Winsor (Author), Marian Parry (illustrator) (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2001

A witty collection of 1950s Space Age poetry for the scientific minded individual, accompanied by unusual black white line drawings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...quirky, long out-of-print classic. Winsor's rhyming verses bring a wide variety of scientific theories, thought, and spirit to life. -- BookSense.com Daily Pick on July 24th, 2001

Books That Most Often Brought A Smile To Our Face: The Space Child's Mother Goose, ....just plain, quirky fun. -- Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Only a few years ago [1950s] we walked on solid earth. Today we whirl through space.
Space is big. It is not cozy.
Buth with these verses and drawings...
cheerfulness breaks in.
Suddenly, science seems merry.
And space begins, with the rhyme on page 1, to feel a little more like home.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 92 pages
• Publisher: Purple House Press; 1st edition (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930900074
• ISBN-13: 978-1930900073
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,120,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twisted, Charming, Educational, and Just Plain Fun, August 28, 2003

By 

Patrick Shepherd "hyperpat" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Space Child's Mother Goose (Hardcover)

Rubber-band mathematics, telekenisis, Moebius strips and Klein bottles, multi-dimensional space-folds, a model of a scientific theory, postulates and relative time frames would not seem to be material suitable for children, but this slim book will quickly disabuse you of that idea. This book is a marvelous re-working of the old Mother Goose rhymes, updated to today's scientifically oriented world.

I first read this book just after it was published, when I was about eleven years old, and was immediately captivated. It made no difference that I didn't understand some of the terms being used. The thing that caught me was the skill with which these modern-day and science-fictional items were folded into those well known rhymes, how well they fit and gave new, quite twisted, and in many cases hysterically funny meaning to them. Reading them today, these verses are still just as funny, if not more so than I found them to be in my youth, as I now can catch the fact that Winsor buried many sly references to Greek literature, outmoded scientific theories, and even satire about academic politics within their brief lines. My favorite along this latter line is `The Theory that Jack Built', which contains a fatal flaw, hidden by mummery, obfuscation, and bells and whistles, which all gets blown away when the Space Child presses the `Go' button.

The illustrations are just as marvelous, and do much to help someone who might not completely understand the scientific terms to see just what is being referenced, while being very individualistic in style and maintaining the humorous tone of the whole book. Along with these visual aids, there are often `definitions' at the bottom of the page, some even more abstruse than the item being defined, but just as funny.

Don't forget to read the `Answers' at the back of the book, which in addition to some appropriate real definitions, also provide some rather unique explanations of some of the terms used in this book, including one which takes a viscous dig at Congress.

Give this one to your son or daughter, but not till you've read it yourself. You might get a few questions, and there might be a few puzzled frowns, but I'd almost guarantee you'll also be the recipient of some laughs and smiles.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My sister gave it to me many years ago, December 15, 1999

By 

christian engleman (Annapolis, Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Space Child's Mother Goose (Paperback)

Probable-Possible, my black hen

She lays eggs in the relative when

She doesn't lay eggs in the positive now

Because she's unable to postulate how.

Several pages later:

Plusque-Posible ma poule noire

Elle ? ses oeufs dans le quand-provisoir

I could also try to remember the German by memory. But already I must admit to pretty poor french. The above English is pretty close to the original, I'm sure.

I think this the funniest trick in this very funny book. Schwarz-henn shows up also in great hieroglyphics, and in Greek with an off-base pedantic translation back into English.

It is a great disappointment that she is out of print. My copy was given me by my sister, the only person who could always pick for me what I wanted, when I was a Naval Officer living in pre Viet Nam Japan. I have just tried to purchase it for a 5 year old piano student who plays the works Mozart wrote at age 5 and who can solve linear equations for two unknowns.

Give it, if you can get it, to any progressive adult or child and you and he will be blessed!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my first books, and still one of my favorites, December 1, 2004

By 

James "Just A Guy" (Austin, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Space Child's Mother Goose (Hardcover)

I was born in 1952. This is the second book I remember having owning, after Dr Suess. I can't place the year exactly, but it was in the 50s.

I still have that first copy. I still read it. I enjoy it just as much or more now than I did way back when dinasoars roamed the earth.

Books don't come any better than this.