Texas Mother Goose

Bibliographic Information (APA): Davis, D. (2006). Texas Mother Goose. Illus. Sue Marshall Ward. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Company.

Brief Annotation: A Texas twist on well-known classic Mother Goose rhymes. Some of them include: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Texas Star,” “There was an Old Cowgirl Who Lived In A Boot,” “Mary, Mary, from Old Granbury,” and “Mary Had a White-Faced Calf.”

Genre: Nursery Rhymes

Grade Level: Pre K- 3

Readers who will like this: Children who like rhymes and Texas

Response/Rating (1-4): 3 out of 4. Fun spin on Mother Goose rhymes to make them unique to Texas.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Who knows anything about Texas or cowboys?

Babushka's Mother Goose

Bibliography: Polacco, P. (1995) Babushka’s Mother Goose. New York, New York: Philomel.

Brief Annotation: These are rhymes that have been reshaped by Patricia’s Babushka (Grandmother). She took material from Aesop, Mother Goose, and Moldavian folk tales to make her own stories from.

Genre: Fiction, Poetry

Grade: K-4

Readers who will like this: Children who like rhymes and cultural heritage books.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3 out of 4. I liked the different view on poetry that Polacco gave.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Who knows who Mother Goose is? What is a rhyme?

Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose

dePaola, T. (1985). Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose. Hong Kong: South China Printing Co.

Brief Annotation: Genre: Fiction; Picture book; Poetry

Grade Level: PreK-3

Readers who will like this: Children who like rhymes, picture books, and Tomie dePaola illustrations.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; Because I grew up hearing Mother Goose rhymes I really love this book. It reminds me of my childhood and learning the songs that accompany many of these rhyming stories. I also love Tomie dePaola’s illustrations so this was a huge perk for me in reading this book.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever heard a rhyme? Can you tell me a rhyme that you know?

A Mother Goose Book

Anglund, J. W. (1991). A Mother Goose Book. FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Brief Annotation: Mother Goose stories have been popular for generations. This is a small book hosting many of the classic Mother Goose rhymes.
Genre: Picture book; poetry
Grade Level: k-2
Readers who will like this: Children who like rhymes, poems, and picturebooks
Response/Rating (1-4): 4; This book reminds me of my childhood. My grandma used to read me Mother Goose books when I was little. I love them.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you know what a rhyme is? Do you know any rhymes?

The Real Mother Goose

Bibliographic Information: Wright, B. F. (1987). The Real Mother Goose. New York: Checkerboard Press Inc. (Original work published 1916).

Brief Annotation: This book is a complete set of the Mother Goose poems. To make ease at finding a certain poem, the first line of every poem is written in the front of the book. From Old king Kole to Needles and Pins; this book has it all! The structures of the poems are not constant from one to the other, and each have a different way of presenting a brilliant idea or story.

Genre: Fiction, Poetry and verse

Grade Level: Prek-4

Readers who will like this: Children who are learning about poems; Children who are read this book before bed; Children who like catchy poems; Children learning new concepts on memory, such as using songs as a way to remember.

Response/Rating: 3; while reading the Mother Goose poems I had not only felt like I was walking down memory lane, but had also forgotten that quite a few of poems were Mother Goose. I was caught off guard on the language used in some of the poems, and the violent actions it described; then I reminded myself that the poems were written in a different time, with a different meaning. There were a few that I was curious to know if there was a hidden meaning behind them, such as Robin and Richard. I have noted the poems that made me think twice and eventually plan to look into them further!

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever met a man named Peter Piper? Or Wee Willie Winkle?