Amazon.com

There should be a law that requires every child to sit on Grandpa's knee as he chants "Trot, trot, to Boston; trot, trot, to Lynn." Grownups who still giggle at the thought of Little Jack Horner pulling a plum out of his Christmas pie, or who make a wish on a star, murmuring "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight" know the secret. They're the ones who will be handing down those same nursery rhymes to their own children, preserving an age-old tradition. But no child should be left behind.

In world folklore authority Iona Opie's collection, these invaluable and ancient nuggets of childhood verse are bursting with new life. Quirky and sly, sweet, gentle, rollicking, silly... the range of rhymes is breathtaking. Winner of over a dozen prestigious awards, including a Parents' Choice Award and an ALA Notable Children's Book award, this wonderful book is charmingly illustrated by Rosemary Wells, best known for her Max books (Max's Bath, Max's Bedtime, Max's Ride). A solid repertoire of nursery rhymes should be de rigueur for any aunt, uncle, grandparent, or parent worth his or her salt. This book is a must, as is its companion volume, Here Comes Mother Goose. (Click to see a sample spread from My Very First Mother Goose. Illustrations & copy; 1996 by Rosemary Wells. Permission from Candlewick Press.) (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (24)

The Mother Goose to Own
As the mother of four, I think I've read Mother Goose rhymes probably tens of thousands of times over the years. We've checked many Mother Goose books out of the library, but (thanks to my mom), this is the one we own. We return to it time and time again for several reasons. First, of all, it's big, which I really like because it means that I don't have to read the same rhymes night after night after night. There's ample room in it to poke around (also its size has allowed Opie to include in it some we didn't know - but quickly learned. My favorite of these is "Wash the dishes, Wipe the dishes, Ring the bell for tea; Three good wishes, Three good kisses, I will give to thee.") I also really like Opie's selection of rhymes. She's left out some of the grimmest, which makes the book appropriate for even the smallest of readers. This is not to say, however, that this a bland book. For Opie has included many really fun pieces. And this leads me to comment on Rosemary Wells' illustrations, which are warm and funny, in the most beautiful colors. She lends her own touch to this book. Sometimes she offers a new interpretation of a rhyme (see, for example, Humpty Dumpty, which it turns out in Wells' world really concerns a small bunny not very fond of boiled eggs). In other pictures, she simply adds hilarious, unexpected, fascinating detail. My daughters Rose, 2, and Daisy, 6, and I laughed and laughed over this book today, turning a sad sick morning into a happy time. I regularly find Rose, who is generally given to activities like bouncing, sitting quietly, poring over this book. This is the one to buy.

Two masters (mistresses?) at work
Iona Opie is one of the great folklorists we have right now and all English-speakers should be grateful for her (and her late husband Peter's) tireless work to preserve and present the poetry of children at play. This book is a terrific introduction to her ear for the best of this kind of poem and to the wonder of Rosemary Wells' imagination. As others have noted, you will return to this book over and over, when other favorites have long since passed into neglect. There is a second volume of these poems, also with Wells' illustrations.

Then try and find a copy of I Saw Esau, an amazing collection of children's playground rhymes from the past 50 years or so. They are by turns witty, crude, wonderous and cruel and the Sendak drawings that accompany them are great. It's not for small children, but a nine year old would love it.

In the meantime, enjoy Mother Goose!

A very good nursery rhymes book
My son loves this book, he is 4 and have most of them memorized, we borrowed it at first at the library, he loved it so much that I had to get him his own.I like it for it's simple and easy to remember lines, we read a couple of different nursery rhymes books, that I find is a little too much to remember for his age.If you buy this book be ready to keep reading it, 'cause your little one will be asking you again and again.

This is a must-have!
What a beautiful collection of nursery rhymes-my daughter loved this book from before she could even sit up-it is also available as a set of board books which I also highly recommend. Keep in mind Iona Opie, the editor, is English and uses some English rhymes or English versions, which has some people confused. The drawings are simple and charming, classic Rosemary Wells.

A wonderful update of an old classic
This book may keep Mother Goose nursery rhymes alive for many more generations to come. I was not particularly drawn to Mother Goose books - many of the rhymes I could remember seemed irrelevant to me. But this book has changed my view. My 3 1/2 year old son and I read it together regularly - he now chants the rhymes along with me. The collection is so well done, with rhymes you'd be happy to read to any child (none of the violent or gory rhymes), and the illustrations are utterly perfect & add tremendously to the content of the rhymes. We have shelves full of children's books, but I would put this in the top 2 or 3 - this is a classic. ... Read more

Book Description

Here is a brand new edition of the classic anthology of nursery rhymes--over 500 rhymes, songs, nonsense jingles, and lullabies traditionally handed down to young children. Included are all of your favorites, ranging from "Yankee Doodle Came to Town" and "A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go" to "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," Jack and Jill" and "Old Mother Hubbard." And complementing the rhymes are nearly a hundred illustrations, including reproductions of early art found in ballad sheets and music books, which highlight the development of children's illustrations over the last two centuries.

With each piece, Iona and Peter Opie introduced a wealth of information, noting the earliest known publications of the rhyme, describing how it originated, illustrating changes in wording over time, and indicating variations and parallels in other languages. Moreover, in the general introduction, the Opies discuss the different types of rhyme and the earliest published collections, and they address such questions as who was Mother Goose and whether or not individual rhymes originally portrayed real people. For this second edition, the notes have been updated and extended in light of recent scholarship, providing an unrivaled wealth of literary and bibliographic information.

The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes is now more than ever an indispensable reference source for scholars and book collectors as well as a volume to be treasured by parents and children alike. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Getting dated.
This is the second edition, published in 1997, of the original Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, also by Iona and Peter Opie, which appeared in 1951. The Preface to the Second Edition explains that the authors gathered many new references over the intervening four decades, and thanks several correspondents for still further additions and corrections. There is, consequently, much more information in the apparatus of the newer edition. However, the revisions are not thorough enough; I still get the sense that I am reading a book put together in the years after World War II.

For one thing, the Introduction appears to have been completely untouched; there are no references to any publication after 1951 (with the exception of references to two recent compilations by the Opies), and most date from the 1940's (for example, the reference on p. 3 to "two admirable Presidential Addresses by Lord Raglan to the Folk-Lore Society, 20 Mar. 1946, and 5 Mar. 1947"). Moreover, the discussion evinces a strange English elitism that may have seemed conventional six decades ago, but has not worn well with time. For example, the Opies seem to consider it a great fillip to the status of nursery rhymes that some of them can be shown to have been written by respected members of the English upper class; but we would consider these figures second or third-rate authors today (for example, Sir Charles Sedley). Also, there is too much blue-blooded in-group banter; for example, under "Bo Peep," one finds this assertion: "it is on record that in his early days Irving played the part of the wolf in Little Bo-Peep at Edinburgh." OK, who is Irving? If you want your book to be read by the generations that succeed you, you must not make allusions that are comprehensible only to your peers and coevals.

Finally, the book is unnecessarily difficult to use. I STILL cannot find "Pop Goes the Weasel" in here; either I am an idiot or the indices are inadequate. I think the latter.

Simply wonderfull!
It's simply wonderfull! More than 500 nursery rhymes, lullabies, riddles with intresting notices about origin. A real treasure for me and for my site: www.filastrocche.it.

A must for anyone interested in NRs and their origin
This is the seminal publication on nursery rhymes, IMO. The Opies have been collecting information about nursery rhymes for more than 50 years. The second edition of their OD of NR was published last year (1997) and is greatly updated on the first. It includes indepth analysis of over 550 nursery rhymes. I've been unable to find a NS of my knowledge that isn't included in there.

It makes a great present for a new-born, or his/her parents more like! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ready or not, here she comes! That clever, mischievous, loving matriarch of the nursery knows more verses and ditties than you can shake a stick at.From the familiar "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater" and "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" to the more obscure "I'm Dusty Bill from Vinegar Hill," this lovely, good-humored collection of nursery rhymes is sure to find a place on the shelf of classics. On the heels of her first award-winning collection, My Very First Mother Goose, world-renowned folklorist Iona Opie brings together still more of her never-ending supply of childhood verse. And once again the incomparable Rosemary Wells (Max's Bath, Max's Bedtime, Max's Ride) has joined Opie to enchant young readers as the two blend ancient verse with fresh new pictures. Soft, appealing watercolors depict a comical menagerie of ducks, bunnies, cats, and guinea pigs, wittily interpreting more than 60 old favorites. No new parent should be without this indispensable treasure. (Click to see a sample spread. Copyright 1999 by Rosemary Wells. Used by permission of Candlewick Press.) (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (6)

disapointing
This has a fairly nice selection of rhymes, and the pictures are bright, but the pictures seem rather unrelated to the rhymes -
and for a child just learning to speak it seems important that
the pictures and the rhymes match. I was given a copy but I do
not read it to my 2-year-old. I much prefer the Orchard Book of
Nursery Rhymes which i found at the local library. (Why three stars and not fewer? Because I saw at the library many nursery rhyme books that were worse.)

great children's book!
I just want to respond to the person who said that there was an error on what boys and girls are made of (p.26-27). This is a children's book of the 90s and the reversal was made intentionally to try to rid of stereotypes of boys and girls. This book has wonderful illistrations and large print, perfect for young children!

Down with stereotypes!
What a wonderful book! The text is classic and the illustrations are, of course, marvelous! To the disappointed reviewer who thought there was an error in the illustrations, you are incorrect! I just returned from a conference at which Ms. Wells spoke. The switch in the "what are little girls/boys made of" indeed was intentional on the part of the illustrator to stamp out those gender stereotypes! As Ms. Wells told us this weekend, "Mother Goose should be the Shakespeare of children's literature."! READ ON!

Great fun for parent and child!
The book is wonderful...as to the comment about the editor's error on the "what are little girls and boy's made of"...I too originally thought it was an error. After a closer look I discovered pictures of cute little girls in pigtails playing with frogs and mud and cute little boys in chefs' hats baking and having a great time. A terrificly subtle blast at stereotypes...give the book to someone you love!

An accessible and refreshing Mother Goose for all ages!
I loved Here Comes Mother Goose. My 11 year old daughter loved it too. Rosemary Wells is so clever, mixing up the what little boys and what little girls are made up was wonderful! The art and characters are what make this book standout for us. The ryhme selection also is great - the rhymes with violence have been skipped, nice for a change. We have both collections now and have given many as gifts. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume contains twenty-four of the best known fairy tales in the English language, presented here in the exact words of their first English publication or of the earliest surviving text. Including "Sleeping Beauty," "Bluebeard," "Cinderella," "Thumbelina," and "Hansel and Gretel," as well as many others, this collection provides a historical introduction for each tale and a general Introduction which traces the history of fairy tales collected in Asia and Europe long before they appeared in English. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An invaluable reference
Everything the Opies write is fascinating and approachable, and this book is a revelation. All these tales, familiar and no-longer-so-familiar, are great to read in this age of sanitised, bowdlerised, or Disneyfied folktales. But the historical details of how the stories evolved, what and from where the variants are, and the significance of various elements of the stories - all these are of great general interest, and are also invaluable to the storyteller needing to do a bit of research.

Fairy tales as they were first printed in the English lang.
I first read this book in 1983, and was amazed with it then. It's unique and extremely interesting. Iona and Peter Opie have the original tales as first printed in the English language. Added to that is the history and the actual gruesome origins of what we now consider children's stories! For example, Sleeping Beauty is not awakened by a kiss. Her Prince Charming violates her while she sleeps (and since she doesn't wake up, we can only imagine how mediocre he was...). She only awakens 9 months later, during the birth of twins! He eventually returns to her, and then the story gets more complicated with his ogre mother who wants to canibalize the children. The story of the Frog Prince is even stranger. Since these are the actual tales, we can see how we've changed the stories to fit in with our culture. This is not a book for young children. The history part was the most fascinating to me. In addition, litle details such as learning that Cinderella's slippers were originally made out of squirrel fur, not glass. Both words in French are spelled similarly (vaire, verre...I'm not sure of the spelling either)and the original printer had a typo that lives on til today. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Board book fan
I knew my first son would love books when he gnawed his way through his first two board books. Now my second son is well on his way, both paging through and chewing on the sturdy board pages of this charming and colorful edition of Humpty Dumpty. Captivating rhythms and bright attention-getting illustrations are sure to delight any fan (child or adult) of Well's animal characters. Previous reviewers expressed concern about rhymes like "Davy Davy Dumpling" but before censoring this book, I'd ask them to think back to when your child was a plump and cuddly infant. How many times did you tickle him and say "I'm going to eat you up!" Did you really mean it? When you change a diaper are you "sugaring and buttering" your baby with powders and creams? I eat my baby up several times a day and it makes him laugh hysterically!

Based on reaction of my 18 month old daughter.
I am surprised to read the reviews. I do not care about rhymes and illustrations. What I care is if my kid loves it. She always asks me read to this books at least once in a day. She is so happy when I am reading this book for her. The thick pages are really important for small kids as they can not tear them off.

Odd illustrations
The Rhymes themselves are Okay but I was dissappointed in the illustrations. It is odd how humpty dumpty is not really illustrated the way we all know Humpty.

Very special children's books
We have the board books (like this one), as well as the two large hardbound books. My children love them, especially my daughter age two, one of whose first words was "Winkie!" after the Wee Willie Winkie rhyme. I find the negative reviews of these books very puzzling -- don't the authors of those reviews have any imagination? Or are they just close-mindedly PC? Or maybe they just do not know (literally) that a dumpling is a boiled pastry that is eaten with butter and sugar? An aspect of nursery rhymes is their connection to deep, and ancient, currents of culture.

A truly odd book
My 2 year old received this as a gift. I seriously wonder whether the person read it before they bought it. Although colorful, the illustrations often don't well represent the rhymes. The rhyme about Davy the Dumpling, whom we boil in pot, then butter & sugar and eat is truly bizzare. We'll be losing this book very soon. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"I saw Esau kissing Kate, / The fact is we all three saw; / For I saw him, / And he saw me, / And she saw I saw Esau." So goes the schoolyard chant that graces this brilliant collection with its title. This "Schoolchild's Pocket Book," edited by lore and literature legends Iona and Peter Opie and gleefully illustrated by Maurice Sendak, definitely belongs on every child's shelf, right next to Mother Goose nursery rhymes and Grimms' fairy tales. I Saw Esau was first published in Great Britain in 1947, but it is vibrantly alive today as a glorious, whimsical collection of more than 170 schoolyard rhymes, ranging from insults and riddles to tongue twisters, jeers, and jump-rope rhymes--"clearly not rhymes that a grandmother might sing to a grandchild on her knee," writes Iona Opie in her introduction. We adore this sturdy, beautifully designed, pocket-sized book of funny, sometimes twisted, but always perfectly illustrated morsels of schoolyard tradition and history. (Ages 4 to 8, and all other ages, too) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I Saw Esau
A delightful book for kids of all ages! Each page of this book has delightful, light, charming prose. The illustrations by Maurice Sendak put the final touches on a lovely, well-bound volume of reading for a family to share or a child to escape to a cozy window-seat and read. I recommend this book for someone who wants to give a nice, lasting gift to a special child or friend. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Cute little rhyme book.
I got this in the mail today and think it's really cute. I think my daughter will really like it as I bought it for her 2nd birthday and she is really into books now. It has a lot of colorful illistrations and little rhymes that are short enough for little ones to learn quickly.

Pussycat, Pussycat: And Other Rhymes
We were first given Pussycat, Pussycat and its companion, Wee Willie Winkie, as a baby shower present. From the moment our son first laid eyes on the books, he adored them. The illustrations, which feature kitties, bunnies, and other creatures, are colorful and enticing, and of course you can't go wrong with Mother Goose as the author! The text invites adult readers to sing songs, create special hand motions to accompany the nursery rhymes, and all parents and caretakers will love watching their children's faces light up with anticipation as they realize what rhyme comes next. I recommend this and all other Opie/Wells books in the series. ... Read more

Book Description

In January 1920 a new monthly magazine was born, created especially for young people the editors called "the Children of the Sun." W. E. B. Du Bois, a professor and writer who was one of the founders of the NAACP, was publisher and editor. Augustus Granville Dill, a former professor of social sciences at Atlanta University, was the business manager. Jessie Redmon Fauset, author and mentor to other African-American writers, was the literary editor. Their magazine was The Brownies' Book and its readers were the African-American young people of the 1920s.

Few children's magazines, movies, school books, or picture books in the 1920s portrayed black people at all, or if they did it was only in minor and unimportant positions. The Brownies Book gave African-American children an opportunity to see that the history and achievements of black people in America were essential and worth knowing about. The magazine was interesting and fun, with stories, poetry, biographies of famous black Americans, reports on international cultures, articles about the accomplishments of young people from all over the country, and photographs and other beautiful artwork created by Negro artists.

This anthology of selections from the 24 issues of The Brownies' Book is as important and entertaining for today's young people as it was 75 years ago. There are wonderful stories and poems by people such as Langston Hughes, who was a teenage contributor, and other writers and visual artists who addressed the intellects and spirits of African-American children and young adults. There are selections from "The Judge," a column written by Jessie Fauset that addressed all sorts of issues -- parents, good behavior, friends, school work, and much more, and another column called "The Jury" that featured letters from young readers. There's even "The Grown-ups' Corner" with letters and comments from parents. And young people and adults alike will be charmed and fascinated by the facsimile of the April 1921 issue that is included at the close of the book.

These lively and entertaining pieces paint a vivid picture of what life was like for young African Americans in the early 20th century, and address issues that are still important to children of all races today. The Brownies' Book was created especially for African-American children, but the editors wanted it "to teach Universal Love and Brotherhood for all little folk-- black and brown and yellow and white." Isn't that what we want for our children today? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Outstanding collection
First, I must point out the error in the Amazon product details. This book is not for ages 4 to 8. As pointed out in the School Library Journal review, the readability level is for grades 6 and above. I'm enjoying reading it aloud to my 8 year old daughter, who is fascinated by the fact that there was a Brownies children magazine in 1920. This is an outstanding collection and a "must" for every child's bookshelf.

The Best of the Brownies' Book
This is an excellent book on an important subject. I sincerely wish it was still around. Self-esteem and a positive self-concept for children of color, especially African-American children are still areas that need a lot of work. Our world is still consumed with an abundant amount of negative images and stereotypes of people of color. This book is wonderful in counteracting that, covering all areas of life; art, athletics, academics, social. It confronts the emotional needs of our children. Every home, school and library should have a collection of the stories and letters found in this book. I will certainly use it in my classroom. I wish I had the gift of prose so that I could properly give the type of review this book deserves. Not only is it appropriate for use as a tool in helping children to realize their self-worth, it's also a wonderful item for those who wish to collect African-American artifacts but cannot afford the more costly items. The book contains stories and poems written by known writers and by "ordinary" children of 1920-21. It also contains letters from "enquiring" minds. Again, it made me wish I could own the whole collection, not just the best of. ... Read more

Book Description

At the heart of any great work of literature is a story. William Shakespeare's plays are no exception. They tell the stories of kings and queens, of ghosts and witches, of romance and passion. But to get to the stories at the heart of the Bard's plays, the reader must first work through Shakespeare's language, a task often too demanding for younger readers (and for many adults). This new paperback edition brings ten of Shakespeare's greatest plays to life. E. Nesbit, the classic British children's author, shakes off the burdensome complexity of Shakespeare's language and tells the stories at the core of the plays with a generous sprinkle of wit and humor. Her graceful, vivid retellings, written in highly accessible and lucid prose, are the perfect introduction to Shakespeare's work.

All of these major works are included in this anthology: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, As You Like It, The Winter's Tale, and Twelfth Night. The text is illustrated with dramatic black-and-white photographs from contemporary productions of the plays by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Stratford Festival (Ontario, Canada), and the Folger Library's Shakespeare Theater. Also included is an afterword by Peter Hunt, a leading scholar of children's literature.

These retellings of the classic tales of one of the world's greatest playwrights remind us that it is never too early for Shakespeare. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

this is not for grade school age children
I bought this to read to my 9 year old son. The language used in this book was very advanced. I found the difficulty level to be just a notch below the actual plays. I found a book called "Stories from Shakespeare" by Geraldine McCaughrean which was much better and my son is enjoying reading "Shakespeare".

Children will now understand Shakepeare!
Edith Nesbit is a wonderful writer, who keeps the integrity of the Shakespeare plays, and makes them understandable to young readers.

I read these stories to my boys, who love to hear all the tales of sword fights, king and queens, difficult lives, funny situations, and times of long ago.

For me, it has been a great overview of famous Shakespeare plays that seem to complicated to read through in their original form. This book gives you the core of the stories, so that later on , one could then read the original stories by the Bard of Avon. ... Read more

Book Description

This anthology brings together the outstanding verse written for children over a period of five hundred years. It contains more than 300 poems written by 123 authors, and includes the rhymed precepts of medieval times, the admonitory verse of Elizabethan Puritans, the inspirational verse of Blake and Christopher Smart, the nonsense verses of Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll, the nursery verses of Robert Louis Stevenson and A. A. Milne, and the poetical imaginings of Christina Rossetti, Eleanor Farjeon, and Walter de la Mare. It has truly been called "A companion to the mature of all ages, no matter how young." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great poetry selection
This book has a large selection of wonderful poems. Some are funny, some are touching, and all of them were enjoyable to my children. ... Read more

Amazon.com

World folklore authority Iona Opie and beloved picture book illustratorRosemary Wells (Max'sBedtime, Max'sBath, and many more) teamed up for two absolutely fantasticaward-winning Mother Goose collections, My Very First Mother Goose andHere Comes Mother Goose.Brimming over with lilting, jaunty, giddy, and sweet rhymes, and awash inadorable watercolors of a veritable menagerie of critters, from guinea pigs tocats to the omnipresent goose herself, these hardcover companion volumes are nowavailable in a handsomely illustrated box set, featuring a mischievouslyfrolicking Ma Goose with a few of her furry and feathered friends. Don't letanother child grow up without learning by heart the traditional verses aboutJack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, and Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater. Don't shirk yourparental duty: these beautiful, playful books should be a necessity in everyfamily! (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Books
I have two toddlers, and we have been reading both of these books at least twice a day for a year. My two year old has both books memorized and my one year old knows quite a few of the verses. I am also buying this for every expectant mother that I know. My husband wasn't fond of Mother Goose at first, but these books have turned him into a fan.

Delicious Goose!
Wow! ... is collection had ALL the Mother Goose Rhymes that I remembered, and then some! The oversized format and bold pictures, all featuring sweet and funny animals playing nursery rhyme roles, will visually delight both the lucky listeners and the grown-ups sharing this treasury! I have been buying this set for EVERY expectant mother I know, it's a great shower gift (especially combined with Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook). I know I was so grateful to have a good Mother Goose collection when I was a new mommy, it's surprising how many you forget once you leave kindergarten. My son, who is now six, loves this book (I like that BOYS are made of sugar and spice and everything nice in this edition...I think a little liberty may have been taken there, but as a mom of a son, I won't argue!). I am grateful to the Opies and to Rosemary Wells for compiling a collection in such a way that is true to the original rhymes yet appealing to children in our century!

As far as I'm concerened, the only egg this goose lays is a golden one!

Disappointing
If you are looking for good old classic Mother Goose that you grew up, with these are not the books you want. I was disappointed to find that I have never heard of over half of these nursery rhymes and the ones that are familiar have been changed. On the up side, the illustrations are great and the book is okay for a child who isn't familiar with classic Mother Goose.

A Wonderful Book
My Mother Goose Library is a book that people see on the shelf and they buy it for their kids. The illustrations are beautiful and my five year old daughter loved it! She also loved having her own personalized Mother Goose book from Personalized Books USA-(http://www.personalizedbooksusa.com)

Tanique Wilis, NYC ... Read more

Book Description

First published in 1959, Iona and Peter Opie’s The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren is a pathbreaking work of scholarship that is also a splendid and enduring work of literature. Going outside the nursery, with its assortment of parent-approved entertainments, to observe and investigate the day-to-day creative intelligence and activities of children, the Opies bring to life the rites and rhymes, jokes and jeers, laws, games, and secret spells of what has been called “the greatest of savage tribes, and the only one which shows no signs of dying out.” "It is the sort of book one can brood over with continually renewed nostalgia, amusement, and wonder." -- Richard Hoggart "As well as being a valuable social study, it is one of the most exhilarating anthologies of our day." -- The Times Literary Supplement ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Anthropology of a world like ours (but not quite)
Collected in the 50s, the Opies' LORE AND LANGUAGE OF SCHOOLCHILDREN is a compelling compendium of a world very similar to that of the 21st century but not quite. Americans will be particularly fascinated by the slight differences in customs and games among children across the Atlantic, as the Opies catalogue nicknames, rhymes, games, tricks, and half-believed supstertions and spells. fascinating reading.

Rhymes and reasons
Most of the material for this book was gathered fifty years ago in British schools, but I'm sure readers in all countries, for all time, will find it amusing and revealing. When I'd finished it, I felt I had a greater insight into children's minds and concerns, which they express, of course, in the games they play and the rhymes they say. I felt at the same time great respect for children. For unasked and unobserved, they have been keeping our traditions alive for us. Many of their dictums and ditties have changed little for hundreds of years. It seems that all the Barbies and Action Men and other expensive toys can't distract them from this valuable and enjoyable task of conservation. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Small Collection of Rhymes
I bought this book for my one-year-old daughter thinking it was just Wee Willie Winkie, since this was one of the first rhymes I learned as a child. Much to my pleasure and surprise, this nicely-sized board book has much more to offer: Pat-a-cake, Jack and Jill, Down at the Station (very cute train rhyme), The Brave Old Duke of York, If I Had a Donkey (one I've never heard before, but very, very cute), Dance to Your Daddy, and Star Light, Star Bright.

The illustrations are attractive - happy and warm. The Dance to Your Daddy rhyme is a bit odd because the next line is "My little babby". Olde English? Also, in Wee Willie Winkie, one of the lines is "Crying through the lock" and I remember it being "Tapping at the lock", but that could just be my poor memory.

I am very pleased with this little volume and am thinking of purchasing more from the collection.

This book will delight infants and parents
All of the Opie/Wells Mother Goose books are fantastic. Although I have the 2 volume "library edition" of their Mother Goose, this is the book we read everyday, since my daughter wants to grab and chew her books. No wonder this is her favorite: the rhymes are melodic, enchanting and accessable while the illustrations are inspired, beautiful and charming. It is the perfect introduction to the wonders and playfulness of language, for both child and parent.

Exceptionally sturdy!
We've gotten lots of mileage out of this little book. I really appreciate how thick the pages are (very easy for little hands to turn) and how well made it is. Even board books don't last long in my house (6 young children here), but this one has been around for well over a year, and it's well loved, too.

The rhymes are shortened to their most essential parts, perfect for little ones. We can go through the book several times in one sitting, and each poem fits neatly on a page.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Down By the Station, and several other popular nursery rhymes are in this book. The illustrations are adorable and the colors are nice and bright.

Highly recommended!

another exceptional effort
This is a child-sized, board book of the Opie/Wells collaboration, My First Mother Goose. It is a perfect selection of well-known and lesser used nursery rhymes and the incomperable illustrations of the larger volume. Toddlers will enjoy being "on their own" and enjoying the pictures or sharing it with their favorite adult and learning their first lessons in rhyme. ... Read more

Book Description

Here are the stories of King Midas, Pandora, Medusa, Hercules, and the other inhabitants of Mount Olympus told by one of America's greatest writers.Written in 1851 as a money-maker for the struggling Hawthorne, A Wonder Book has become a favorite for generations of children everywhere. Hawthorne's mastery of adventure and his command of narrative and character open a child's mind to the wondrous landscapes of ancient mythology in stories such as "The Gorgon's Head" and "The Three Golden Apples."

Oxford has created a beautiful and memorable edition of this classic children's text with illustrations by famed book artist Walter Crane, whose full-color plates and decorative art originally accompanied the text in the late 1800s. An introduction by Ola d'Aulaire, son of the creators of d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, sets the stage for the young reader, and an afterword for adults by Hawthorne scholar Joel Pfister places A Wonder Book in Hawthorne's body of work and in historical context, conveying the strength of its romantic imagination in the face of the encroaching Industrial Revolution. Adults and collectors will find this major new edition a treasure and their children will happily enter a world of magic and imagination, led by one of the greatest American storytellers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Vibrant Treasure
This affordably priced quality paperback edition of familiar tales from Greek mythology is truly a treasure and a wonderful way to enjoy these timeless stories or to introduce them to young people. One of America's greatest writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote these versions of stories about Pandora, Medusa, Hercules, King Midas and the host of gods and goddesses that make up the Greek pantheon. The language is evocative and colorful yet easily understandable. You needn't worry if your high school teacher's assigned reading of "The Scarlet Letter" bored you to tears, as this collection of stories is filled with exciting adventures and vivid characters. I love the beautiful illustrations in this book. They were done by Walter Crane, one of the most popular illustrators of children's books in the late 19th century. The paintings are in the Pre-Raphaelite style in full color. The decorations at the beginning of each chapter are filled with Victorian charm and make this new editon seem like a well-loved antique. There are many excellent anthologies of the Greek myths on the market but rarely will you find one that utilizes such substantial talents as those employed by Hawthorne and Crane or that so thoroughly draw the reader in to the romantic and turbulent world of heroes, maidens and the capricious deities who stir their fates. I highly recommend this book. It is a classic that will enrich the mind and heart of a young reader and open the way for further discovery.

A Beautiful Book!
This is a remarkable book, with rich detail in both illustration and prose. Particularly wonderful for reading aloud together, my sons enjoyed this book through several years, and asked for the stories often. ... Read more

Book Description

For nearly forty years Iona Opie worked with her husband, Peter, on a notable series of books on the traditional lore of childhood, among them Children's Games in Street and Playground, The Singing Game, and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. As part of her fieldwork, she visited a local school playground every week, where she would write down events exactly as they happened, and conversations exactly as they were spoken.The result of these many years of observation, The People in the Playground is a startlingly honest portrait of children at play, at once charming and hilarious, alarming and poignant, and full of infectious vitality.

Here we meet the children of the Junior School playground in Liss--their favorite games, their silliest jokes, their engaging personalities. Opie provides much insight into children's play and human behavior: why crazes begin and stop so suddenly; the reasons for popularity and unpopularity; the ways in which new lore arrives on the playground; the unconcerned killing in the perennial game of "War"; or the tender commiseration for a friend who has stubbed his toe. She follows individual children week by week: the bully and his victim; the intellectual who would rather read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland than join in the games himself; the girl whose tragic home life can be forgotten as she plays a ring game; or the boy who is obsessed with gorillas.A group of boys offer Opie their version of tag ("There's someone got hayfever, right? He catches another one and they get hayfever.And they get tagged by someone who's free and they're all right.")A young girl asks why Opie is writing everything down, and then presents her own rendition of "Popeye the Sailors Man" for the record.And on a rainy day unsuitable for their regular games, a vivacious child offers her very best jokes:"I'm the one who tells you jokes--ta ra! Here's another one.What's the most unfortunate letter in the alphabet?Will you write it down, please. I like you writing them down," she says to Opie and continues, "The letter U--because whenever there's trouble you always find U in the middle of it."

No one has previously attempted to describe and record life in a playground while it is actually happening. In these pages are rich and startling portraits of children at play: their art of storytelling, the friendships and enmities, the excited interest in sex, the diversity of characters, and above all, the hilarity which pervades the playground, creating entertainment out of trivialities. ... Read more