Contents
Introduction
Sing a Song o' Sixpence
The Story of Little Boy Blue
Cat and the Fiddle
The Black Sheep
Old King Cole
Mistress Mary
The Wond'rous Wise Man
What Jack Horner Did
The Man in the Moon
The Jolly Miller
The Little Man and His Little Gun
Hickory Dickory Dock
Little Bo-Peep
The Story of Tommy Tucker
Pussy-cat Mew
How the Beggars Came to Town
Tom, the Piper's Son
Humpty Dumpty
The Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
Little Miss Muffet
Three Wise Men of Gotham
Little Bun Rabbit
Introduction.
None of us, whether children or adults, needs an introduction to
Mother Goose. Those things which are earliest impressed upon our minds
cling to them most tenaciously The snatches sung in the nursery are
never forgotten, nor are they ever recalled without bringing back with
them myriads of slumbering feelings and half-forgotten images.
We hear the sweet, low voice of the mother, singing soft lullabies to
her darling, and see the kindly, wrinkled face of the grandmother as
she croons the old ditties to quiet our restless spirits. One
generation is linked to another by the everlasting spirit of song; the
ballads of the nursery follow us from childhood to old age, and they
are readily brought from memory's recesses at any time to amuse our
children or our grandchildren.
The collection of jingles we know and love as the "Melodies of Mother
Goose" are evidently drawn from a variety of sources. While they are,
taken altogether, a happy union of rhyme, wit, pathos, satire and
sentiment, the research after the author of each individual verse
would indeed be hopeless. It would be folly to suppose them all the
composition of uneducated old nurses, for many of them contain much
reflection, wit and melody. It is said that Shelley wrote "Pussy-Cat
Mew," and Dean Swift "Little Bo-Peep," and these assertions are as
difficult to disprove as to prove. Some of the older verses, however,
are doubtless offshoots from ancient Folk Lore Songs, and have
descended to us through many centuries.
The connection of Mother Goose with the rhymes which bear her name is
difficult to determine, and, in fact, three countries claim her for
their own: France, England and America.
About the year 1650 there appeared in circulation in London a small
book, named "Rhymes of the Nursery; or Lulla-Byes for Children," which
contained many of the identical pieces that have been handed down to
us; but the name of Mother Goose was evidently not then known. In this
edition were the rhymes of "Little Jack Homer," "Old King Cole,"
"Mistress Mary," "Sing a Song o' Sixpence," and "Little Boy Blue."
In 1697 Charles Perrault published in France a book of children's
tales entitled "Contes de ma Mere Oye," and this is really the first
time we find authentic record of the use of the name of Mother Goose,
although Perrault's tales differ materially from those we now know
under this title. They comprised "The Sleeping Beauty," "The Fairy,"
"Little Red Riding Hood," "Blue Beard," "Puss in Boots" "Riquet with
the Tuft," "Cinderella," and "Little Thumb"; eight stories in all. On
the cover of the book was depicted an old lady holding in her hand a
distaff and surrounded by a group of children listening eagerly. Mr.
Andrew Lang has edited a beautiful English edition of this work
(Oxford, 1888).
America bases her claim to Mother Goose upon the following statement,
made by the late John Fleet Eliot, a descendant of Thomas Fleet, the
printer:
At the beginning of the eighteenth century there lived in Boston a
lady named Eliza Goose (written also Vergoose and Vertigoose) who
belonged to a wealthy family. Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Goose (or
Vertigoose), was married by Rev. Cotton Mather in 1715 to an
enterprising and industrious printer named Thomas Fleet, and in due
time gave birth to a son. Like most mothers-in-law in our day, the
importance of Mrs. Goose increased with the appearance of her
grandchild, and poor Mr. Fleet, half distracted with her endless
nursery ditties, finding all other means fail, tried what ridicule
could effect, and actually printed a book under the title "Songs of
the Nursery; or, Mother Goose's Melodies for Children." On the title
page was the picture of a goose with a very long neck and a mouth wide
open, and below this, "Printed by T. Fleet, at his Printing House in
Pudding Lane, 1719. Price, two coppers."
1102448811
Introduction
Sing a Song o' Sixpence
The Story of Little Boy Blue
Cat and the Fiddle
The Black Sheep
Old King Cole
Mistress Mary
The Wond'rous Wise Man
What Jack Horner Did
The Man in the Moon
The Jolly Miller
The Little Man and His Little Gun
Hickory Dickory Dock
Little Bo-Peep
The Story of Tommy Tucker
Pussy-cat Mew
How the Beggars Came to Town
Tom, the Piper's Son
Humpty Dumpty
The Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
Little Miss Muffet
Three Wise Men of Gotham
Little Bun Rabbit
Introduction.
None of us, whether children or adults, needs an introduction to
Mother Goose. Those things which are earliest impressed upon our minds
cling to them most tenaciously The snatches sung in the nursery are
never forgotten, nor are they ever recalled without bringing back with
them myriads of slumbering feelings and half-forgotten images.
We hear the sweet, low voice of the mother, singing soft lullabies to
her darling, and see the kindly, wrinkled face of the grandmother as
she croons the old ditties to quiet our restless spirits. One
generation is linked to another by the everlasting spirit of song; the
ballads of the nursery follow us from childhood to old age, and they
are readily brought from memory's recesses at any time to amuse our
children or our grandchildren.
The collection of jingles we know and love as the "Melodies of Mother
Goose" are evidently drawn from a variety of sources. While they are,
taken altogether, a happy union of rhyme, wit, pathos, satire and
sentiment, the research after the author of each individual verse
would indeed be hopeless. It would be folly to suppose them all the
composition of uneducated old nurses, for many of them contain much
reflection, wit and melody. It is said that Shelley wrote "Pussy-Cat
Mew," and Dean Swift "Little Bo-Peep," and these assertions are as
difficult to disprove as to prove. Some of the older verses, however,
are doubtless offshoots from ancient Folk Lore Songs, and have
descended to us through many centuries.
The connection of Mother Goose with the rhymes which bear her name is
difficult to determine, and, in fact, three countries claim her for
their own: France, England and America.
About the year 1650 there appeared in circulation in London a small
book, named "Rhymes of the Nursery; or Lulla-Byes for Children," which
contained many of the identical pieces that have been handed down to
us; but the name of Mother Goose was evidently not then known. In this
edition were the rhymes of "Little Jack Homer," "Old King Cole,"
"Mistress Mary," "Sing a Song o' Sixpence," and "Little Boy Blue."
In 1697 Charles Perrault published in France a book of children's
tales entitled "Contes de ma Mere Oye," and this is really the first
time we find authentic record of the use of the name of Mother Goose,
although Perrault's tales differ materially from those we now know
under this title. They comprised "The Sleeping Beauty," "The Fairy,"
"Little Red Riding Hood," "Blue Beard," "Puss in Boots" "Riquet with
the Tuft," "Cinderella," and "Little Thumb"; eight stories in all. On
the cover of the book was depicted an old lady holding in her hand a
distaff and surrounded by a group of children listening eagerly. Mr.
Andrew Lang has edited a beautiful English edition of this work
(Oxford, 1888).
America bases her claim to Mother Goose upon the following statement,
made by the late John Fleet Eliot, a descendant of Thomas Fleet, the
printer:
At the beginning of the eighteenth century there lived in Boston a
lady named Eliza Goose (written also Vergoose and Vertigoose) who
belonged to a wealthy family. Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Goose (or
Vertigoose), was married by Rev. Cotton Mather in 1715 to an
enterprising and industrious printer named Thomas Fleet, and in due
time gave birth to a son. Like most mothers-in-law in our day, the
importance of Mrs. Goose increased with the appearance of her
grandchild, and poor Mr. Fleet, half distracted with her endless
nursery ditties, finding all other means fail, tried what ridicule
could effect, and actually printed a book under the title "Songs of
the Nursery; or, Mother Goose's Melodies for Children." On the title
page was the picture of a goose with a very long neck and a mouth wide
open, and below this, "Printed by T. Fleet, at his Printing House in
Pudding Lane, 1719. Price, two coppers."
Mother Goose in Prose
Contents
Introduction
Sing a Song o' Sixpence
The Story of Little Boy Blue
Cat and the Fiddle
The Black Sheep
Old King Cole
Mistress Mary
The Wond'rous Wise Man
What Jack Horner Did
The Man in the Moon
The Jolly Miller
The Little Man and His Little Gun
Hickory Dickory Dock
Little Bo-Peep
The Story of Tommy Tucker
Pussy-cat Mew
How the Beggars Came to Town
Tom, the Piper's Son
Humpty Dumpty
The Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
Little Miss Muffet
Three Wise Men of Gotham
Little Bun Rabbit
Introduction.
None of us, whether children or adults, needs an introduction to
Mother Goose. Those things which are earliest impressed upon our minds
cling to them most tenaciously The snatches sung in the nursery are
never forgotten, nor are they ever recalled without bringing back with
them myriads of slumbering feelings and half-forgotten images.
We hear the sweet, low voice of the mother, singing soft lullabies to
her darling, and see the kindly, wrinkled face of the grandmother as
she croons the old ditties to quiet our restless spirits. One
generation is linked to another by the everlasting spirit of song; the
ballads of the nursery follow us from childhood to old age, and they
are readily brought from memory's recesses at any time to amuse our
children or our grandchildren.
The collection of jingles we know and love as the "Melodies of Mother
Goose" are evidently drawn from a variety of sources. While they are,
taken altogether, a happy union of rhyme, wit, pathos, satire and
sentiment, the research after the author of each individual verse
would indeed be hopeless. It would be folly to suppose them all the
composition of uneducated old nurses, for many of them contain much
reflection, wit and melody. It is said that Shelley wrote "Pussy-Cat
Mew," and Dean Swift "Little Bo-Peep," and these assertions are as
difficult to disprove as to prove. Some of the older verses, however,
are doubtless offshoots from ancient Folk Lore Songs, and have
descended to us through many centuries.
The connection of Mother Goose with the rhymes which bear her name is
difficult to determine, and, in fact, three countries claim her for
their own: France, England and America.
About the year 1650 there appeared in circulation in London a small
book, named "Rhymes of the Nursery; or Lulla-Byes for Children," which
contained many of the identical pieces that have been handed down to
us; but the name of Mother Goose was evidently not then known. In this
edition were the rhymes of "Little Jack Homer," "Old King Cole,"
"Mistress Mary," "Sing a Song o' Sixpence," and "Little Boy Blue."
In 1697 Charles Perrault published in France a book of children's
tales entitled "Contes de ma Mere Oye," and this is really the first
time we find authentic record of the use of the name of Mother Goose,
although Perrault's tales differ materially from those we now know
under this title. They comprised "The Sleeping Beauty," "The Fairy,"
"Little Red Riding Hood," "Blue Beard," "Puss in Boots" "Riquet with
the Tuft," "Cinderella," and "Little Thumb"; eight stories in all. On
the cover of the book was depicted an old lady holding in her hand a
distaff and surrounded by a group of children listening eagerly. Mr.
Andrew Lang has edited a beautiful English edition of this work
(Oxford, 1888).
America bases her claim to Mother Goose upon the following statement,
made by the late John Fleet Eliot, a descendant of Thomas Fleet, the
printer:
At the beginning of the eighteenth century there lived in Boston a
lady named Eliza Goose (written also Vergoose and Vertigoose) who
belonged to a wealthy family. Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Goose (or
Vertigoose), was married by Rev. Cotton Mather in 1715 to an
enterprising and industrious printer named Thomas Fleet, and in due
time gave birth to a son. Like most mothers-in-law in our day, the
importance of Mrs. Goose increased with the appearance of her
grandchild, and poor Mr. Fleet, half distracted with her endless
nursery ditties, finding all other means fail, tried what ridicule
could effect, and actually printed a book under the title "Songs of
the Nursery; or, Mother Goose's Melodies for Children." On the title
page was the picture of a goose with a very long neck and a mouth wide
open, and below this, "Printed by T. Fleet, at his Printing House in
Pudding Lane, 1719. Price, two coppers."
Introduction
Sing a Song o' Sixpence
The Story of Little Boy Blue
Cat and the Fiddle
The Black Sheep
Old King Cole
Mistress Mary
The Wond'rous Wise Man
What Jack Horner Did
The Man in the Moon
The Jolly Miller
The Little Man and His Little Gun
Hickory Dickory Dock
Little Bo-Peep
The Story of Tommy Tucker
Pussy-cat Mew
How the Beggars Came to Town
Tom, the Piper's Son
Humpty Dumpty
The Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
Little Miss Muffet
Three Wise Men of Gotham
Little Bun Rabbit
Introduction.
None of us, whether children or adults, needs an introduction to
Mother Goose. Those things which are earliest impressed upon our minds
cling to them most tenaciously The snatches sung in the nursery are
never forgotten, nor are they ever recalled without bringing back with
them myriads of slumbering feelings and half-forgotten images.
We hear the sweet, low voice of the mother, singing soft lullabies to
her darling, and see the kindly, wrinkled face of the grandmother as
she croons the old ditties to quiet our restless spirits. One
generation is linked to another by the everlasting spirit of song; the
ballads of the nursery follow us from childhood to old age, and they
are readily brought from memory's recesses at any time to amuse our
children or our grandchildren.
The collection of jingles we know and love as the "Melodies of Mother
Goose" are evidently drawn from a variety of sources. While they are,
taken altogether, a happy union of rhyme, wit, pathos, satire and
sentiment, the research after the author of each individual verse
would indeed be hopeless. It would be folly to suppose them all the
composition of uneducated old nurses, for many of them contain much
reflection, wit and melody. It is said that Shelley wrote "Pussy-Cat
Mew," and Dean Swift "Little Bo-Peep," and these assertions are as
difficult to disprove as to prove. Some of the older verses, however,
are doubtless offshoots from ancient Folk Lore Songs, and have
descended to us through many centuries.
The connection of Mother Goose with the rhymes which bear her name is
difficult to determine, and, in fact, three countries claim her for
their own: France, England and America.
About the year 1650 there appeared in circulation in London a small
book, named "Rhymes of the Nursery; or Lulla-Byes for Children," which
contained many of the identical pieces that have been handed down to
us; but the name of Mother Goose was evidently not then known. In this
edition were the rhymes of "Little Jack Homer," "Old King Cole,"
"Mistress Mary," "Sing a Song o' Sixpence," and "Little Boy Blue."
In 1697 Charles Perrault published in France a book of children's
tales entitled "Contes de ma Mere Oye," and this is really the first
time we find authentic record of the use of the name of Mother Goose,
although Perrault's tales differ materially from those we now know
under this title. They comprised "The Sleeping Beauty," "The Fairy,"
"Little Red Riding Hood," "Blue Beard," "Puss in Boots" "Riquet with
the Tuft," "Cinderella," and "Little Thumb"; eight stories in all. On
the cover of the book was depicted an old lady holding in her hand a
distaff and surrounded by a group of children listening eagerly. Mr.
Andrew Lang has edited a beautiful English edition of this work
(Oxford, 1888).
America bases her claim to Mother Goose upon the following statement,
made by the late John Fleet Eliot, a descendant of Thomas Fleet, the
printer:
At the beginning of the eighteenth century there lived in Boston a
lady named Eliza Goose (written also Vergoose and Vertigoose) who
belonged to a wealthy family. Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Goose (or
Vertigoose), was married by Rev. Cotton Mather in 1715 to an
enterprising and industrious printer named Thomas Fleet, and in due
time gave birth to a son. Like most mothers-in-law in our day, the
importance of Mrs. Goose increased with the appearance of her
grandchild, and poor Mr. Fleet, half distracted with her endless
nursery ditties, finding all other means fail, tried what ridicule
could effect, and actually printed a book under the title "Songs of
the Nursery; or, Mother Goose's Melodies for Children." On the title
page was the picture of a goose with a very long neck and a mouth wide
open, and below this, "Printed by T. Fleet, at his Printing House in
Pudding Lane, 1719. Price, two coppers."
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Mother Goose in Prose
Mother Goose in Prose
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940013488557 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | SAP |
| Publication date: | 11/17/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 113 KB |
| Age Range: | 3 - 5 Years |
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