Mother Goose Day – May 1, 2012

Mother Goose Day is on May 1. Created in 1987 by Gloria T. Delamar it is a day to re-appreciate the old Mother Goose nursery rhymes and stories that we all grew up with. On a personal note, I’ve found that we’ve forgotten these fantastic tales and tongue twisters. I talk to more and more children every day who have absolutely no idea who Little Jack Horner is or Little Miss Muffet. These classic rhymes and stories have fallen out of use, but on May 1st let’s all remember and recite some of our favorites!

Mother Goose

 

Who Was Mother Goose?

There are a couple of different legends about who the real Mother Goose was. One possible Mother Goose was from France, the wife of King Robert II whom was nicknamed “Bertha the Spinner” or “Goose-Foot Bertha,” depending on accounts. Bertha was Robert’s second wife. She was born somewhere around 960. In French legends she is known as a spinner of tales, ones that captured the imaginations of the children at the French court.

Another possible Mother Goose, and one closer to home, is from Boston, Massachusetts. The wife of Isaac Goose (who would have been either Elizabeth Foster Goose or Mary Goose) lived in the 1660’s. After Mrs. Goose’s husband past, she went to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Thomas Fleet. Thomas was a publisher who lived on Pudding Lane. He is the one, supposedly, who first gathered together “Mother Goose’s” stories, songs and rhymes.

Mother Goose Booklist:

Here are some titles you can find here, at the Manlius Library. These are all the classic Mother Goose Rhymes. Hope you have fun sharing some of these stories with your family!

Here Comes Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie; illustrated by Rosemary Wells (J 398.8 HER)

Michael Forman’s Mother Goose by Michael Forman (J 398.8 MOT)

Mother Goose: A Collection of Nursery Rhymes selected and illustrated by Michael Hague (J 398.8 MOT)

Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose by Leo and Diane Dillon (J 398.84 DIL)

Mother Goose Picture Puzzles by Will Hillenbrand (J 398.8 HIL)

My Very First Mother Goose edited by Iona Opie; illustrated by Rosemary Wells (J 398.8 MY)

Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists (J Graphic Nursery)

Pat-A-Cake and Other Play Rhymes by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson; illustrated by Alan Tiegreen (J 398.8 PAT)

Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes by Salley Mavor (J 398.8 POC)

Sylvia Long’s Mother Goose by Sylvia Long (J 398.8 MOT)

The Glorious Mother Goose selected by Cooper Evans with illustrations by the best artists of the past (J 398.8 MOT)

The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews (J 398.8 NEI)

The Real Mother Goose illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright (J 398.8 MOT)

Tomie DePaola’s Mother Goose by Tomie DePaola (J 398.8 MOT)

Wendy Watson’s Mother Goose by Wendy Watson (J 398.8 MOT)

Hear What Ma'am Goose Says!