Sylvia Long's Mother Goose

Being raised, as most young folk are in this country on Mother Goose Rhymes. And having read, used, collected, bought, sold and generally studied these collections for years, I can truthfully say that this works s probably the best I've run across. Not only are many of the over 75 selections some of the lesser known ones; but the artwork accompanying each rhyme is unique to say the least. [Fear not the obscurity though, all of the old favorites are present.]

As to verbiage, I admit to being a traditionalist when it comes to work such as this. I do not like modern authors mucking about changing words, themes and story lines to meet political correctness standards of the time nor to mellow the stories out so that ultra sensitive kids will not be overly traumatized. Many of these old tales are from a different era where children were treated much differently than those of today. As an example, some of these rhymes date back to the Elizabethan era where it was considered a "good thing" for children to watch public hangings and executions to teach them moral lessons. Times were a bit different then. I must admit that I was at first rather put off by the author's opening statement that she had softened some of the tales. My fears were unnecessary! The author has not changed the wording one bit, but rather through her art work has given some of the little ditties a different interpretation than we would find in a standard or work from an earlier time. These changes, and I might add that there were very few, I found completely acceptable and in fact felt many of the pieces were actually enhanced.

The author has use animal, insects and other creatures in all of her illustrations in lieu of people. All of the critters are dressed in very detailed and exquisite Victorian or Post Victorian garb. The author has really done her research in this area. Using a pen and watercolor technique the reader will find the illustrations reminiscent of Beatrix Potters work, although in this case Long has added far more detail than that found in Potter's work. The creatures the illustrator has use range from insects to frogs to bears, cats, lions, rabbits, many species of birds, cows, pigs, cranes, sheep...and the list goes on. As I said, the clothing used on these creatures is something to behold. Sylvia Long has taken anthropomorphism to new and delightful heights.

The author has also linked many of these rhymes through her art. The sharp eyed child will note that a lost shoe in one illustrated rhyme will show up under a bush or tree in another rhyme several pages later. There are many examples of this and to be quite frank, I find new ones with each reading.

The author/illustrator has provided us with an Index of First Lines in the back of the book and even it has been wonderfully illustrated.

If you find yourself in need of a wonderful collection of Mother Goose Rhymes, then this would certainly be a work worth considering. My personal copy is in library binding; very stout and serviceable which is needed because if you have little ones this book will get quite a workout.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks