Customer Reviews

Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book includes items that I remember (and/or own) as separate Golden Book stories; an example is the Three Little Kittens. Other items I know as folk songs e.g. "I had a cat and the cat pleased me". Others have longer versions than normally appear in Mother Goose although the additional verses are often traditional e.g. Jack and Jill; this trait is the one most apt to disturb the adults - they often wish to read the rhymes as they remember them. I would also expect some complaints about some of the violence - spanking etc.; I see these as an opportunity to introduce the child to the fact that the world is not composed of perfect people. Letting children hear or see something is not the same as approving the behavior.

The real strength of this volume is the thought given to sequence. Open to any page and you will see pictures which are compatible with each other, rhymes that are compatible, that create a nice flow. The illustrations are a wonderful mix of realism, animal-people, and humor - a pig so puffed it appears to float. While the pictures have a taste of old to them - especially those accompanying rhymes with archaic subject matter - the pictures are appealing to the contemporary child.

My two-year-old daughter can't go to bed without reading at least 20 nursery rhymes from this enchanting book. (Well, I read them to her.) The illustrations are magnificent, as are the groupings of the rhymes and the way the art is arranged. This is truly a magical book. The only thing I don't like is the true, old wording on some of the "crueller" rhymes; in other words, the old lady in the shoe beats her children soundly, and the mother who catches her daughter warming her toes by the fire also beats her. Etc. I change the words for all these. Other than this, a magnficent, classic book that has my child loving the sound of words.

What could be better than Tomie dePaola and Mother Goose? As a teacher and parent, these rhymes are a must to ensure reading success for our children. There are too many kids these days that don't know the nursery rhymes and then have difficulty rhyming themselves. I make it a point to give this as a gift for new babies. You should too!

Based wherever possible on the classic rhymes as collected by Peter and Iona Opie, dePaola opens his own collection with the tale of Old Mother Goose and her hapless son Jack. Thereafter, longer tentpole tales are spaced regularly throughout, separated from one another by shorter stories, with some taking up a page with text and illustration while other tiny verses are arranged several to a page, sometimes spanning openings with similarly-themed illustrations. dePaola's illustrations are filled with simple, muted hues with a distinct lack of shadow which, in combination with a use of line, promotes the human scale of the narratives -- fuzzy even at its sharpest -- and creates an atmosphere of gentleness which would seem to suit the familiar and often archaic lines even when they veer into the horrific. The young reader will be drawn in by the friendly, engaging, and expressive images, and is likely to construct expectations of the stories before beginning to read them. However, reading from Mother Goose may prove challenging despite the simple diction and rhyming structure due to the frequent use of approximate rhymes and dated cultural references. Nonetheless, the collection fittingly concludes with a series of time-honored lullabies.

I purchased this for a baby shower gift (everyone brought their favorite childhood book). It's perfect! The illustrations are priceless and the future mother is from Tomie dePaola's hometown- Meriden- and the book is dedicated to Meriden. It includes a frameable illustration as well- just right for baby's room.

This is a favorite book I've given many times as a gift to new parents. It has beautiful, colorful illustrations that are charming and pleasing to the eye, perfect for sitting in a rocking chair and reading with a baby or small child to inspire a lifetime love of books and stories.

I originally bought this book for my daughter when it was first published (1985, I believe). Her older sister and I read it to her over and over. We can still quote entire rhymes all these years later! The drawings are adorable and completely capture the whimsy of the words. I give this book at every baby shower I've attended since '85.

I purchased this book as a Baby Shower gift. I was looking for a collection of Mother Goose and wasn't happy with the illustrations in most collections I was finding. I was so happy to come across this one illustrated by Tomie dePaola! I love his illustrations.

This has all the nursery rhymes I grew up with and few I have never heard before. My granddaughter loves the rhymes and the pictures that go along with them. It is beautifully done.

What a wonderful book. The illustrations are large and colorful which make it easier to keep our baby's attention. Some of the stories are short and some are longer so the book can be a stand-by for a long time.