"A book to be shared with a special child, preferably over hot cocoa." --The Iowan magazine "This book would make a pleasant gift for a child or collector or lover of Mother Goose." --Maine Antique Digest The magic of Mother Goose comes to life in this collection of lore, illustrations, ads, and postcards from the late 1800s to the 1930s. Each chapter explores the history of Mother Goose from the first publications of her now-famous nursery rhymes to early postcards that became collectibles in the early 1900s. With illustrations from well-known artists such as Kate Greenaway, Thomas Nast, Walter Crane, and Ethel Franklin Betts, the author brings Mother Goose to life. Included are dozens of nursery rhymes with everything from children's classics like "Old King Cole" to riddles like "I was going to St. Ives."

Who was Mother Goose? Where did she come from, and when? Although she’s one of the most beloved characters in Western literature, Mother Goose’s origins have seemed lost in the mists of time. Several have tried to pin her down, claiming she was the mother of Charlemagne, the wife of Clovis (King of the Franks), the Queen of Sheba, or even Elizabeth Goose of Boston, Massachusetts. Others think she’s related to mysterious goose-footed statues in old French churches called “Queen Pedauque.” This book delves deeply into the surviving evidence for Mother Goose’s origins – from her nursery rhymes and fairy tales as well as from relevant historical, mythological, and anthropological data. Until now, no one has ever confidently identified this intriguing yet elusive literary figure. So who was the real Mother Goose? The answer might surprise you.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Vintage artwork and the classic Disney characters add a world of charm to these perennial Mother Goose nursery rhyme favorites–from “Peter Pumpkin Eater,” “Hey, Diddle, Diddle,” and “Little Miss Muffet” to “Jack Sprat,” “Simple Simon,” “Old King Cole,” and more. This Little Golden Book from the 1940s is a must-have addition to every Little Golden Book collector’s library.

A modern edition of a book first published in 1913.