The Tall Book of Mother Goose

I too have a 50+ year old copy, tattered and coverless. It was well loved and read. In my "kiddie lit" class as an undergrad I learned something interesting about the illustrator. He was a Czechcoslavakian refugee from the terror of Nazi Germany. Look carefully at Humpty Dumpty, page 48 - look familiar? Copyright date is 1942. I love his charming, old world illustrations as well as the more original versions of the rhymes that I remember from childhood. Maybe that's because this was the first nursery rhyme book I received!

How sad that the Tall Book of Mother Goose is now out of print. Our family has three copies, the first was mine, a tattered copy from about 55 years ago, the second which belonged to my 30ish daughters and the last was purchased 6 years ago for my grandaughter. Each generation has loved this book and the wonderful illustrations. As far as the binding, even the oldest copy is still intact. I firmly believe that every child should experience the wonder of Mother Goose and have yet to find a better version. If I can find out of print copies, you may be sure I will stock up for the next generations.

I found this book to be full of endearing reminders of my early childhood. I did not find the pages hard to turn as a child, rather I completely wore the poor book out. I loved the illustrations and the many varieties of nursery rhymes it contained, some of which I've never seen since. It was an absolutely great childhood nursery rhyme book. I am trying to find a copy to buy now.

This is a book I owned as a child and, contrary to the Horn Book review (above) the tall, thin shape did not make it difficult for me to handle and is one of the endearing features of the book. The pictures are colorful and charming and there is a good selection of nursery rhymes. There are enough rhymes and pictures to give a good variey, without having so many as to make it overwhelming as I have found is the case with some larger books. It is a great choice for a book of Mother Goose rhymes.