School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-A mother goose tells her goslings-Boo, Lucy, and Small-little rhymes throughout the day, and they prove so popular that soon other geese are sharing them with their own children. Eventually a heron has the foresight to write them down, and that is (in this version anyway) how Mother Goose's nursery rhymes came to be. This charming presentation captures the affectionate tone of a loving family and a mother's attempt to answer endless questions. The narrative puts the rhymes into a context that children will find appealing (e.g., Boo falls into a puddle and to cheer him up, Mother Goose tells him about Doctor Foster and that really big puddle in Gloucester). While most of the selections are familiar, several are lesser known, such as "How Many Miles to Babylon?" or "There Was an Old Woman Called Nothing-at-All." The droll cartoon illustrations with their pop-eyed characters are well suited to such familiar yet disquieting lines about well-dressed eggs who tumble off walls. A pleasant addition for those looking to add to their Mother Goose collections.-Susan Moorhead, New Rochelle Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.