Mother Goose

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Summary: Mother Goose is perfected! I Spy and Gorgeous Illustrations
Review: This version of Mother Goose is just gorgeous. Of course, you must be a fan of folk art to appreciate the illustrations, which are so colorful and lively! This book is 54 pages and includes classic nursery rhymes. Six rhymes are presented (3 per page) on a two page spread and each has a small illustration to accompany it. Then, turn the page and there is a gorgeous two page spread of a complete folk art scene that includes each of the six small illustrations from the previous set of pages. This makes for a delightful 2 in 1 purchase for you and your child, an I Spy nursery rhyme book. It is just lovely and I can't imagine anyone being disappointed in this book. I bought it as a gift for a friend and now I must buy it for my own son, despite the fact that he already has 3 nursery rhyme books! It's that lovely!

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Summary: Beyond The Fields We Know
Review: With the releases of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1995), Rip Van Winkle (1997), Silent Night (1999), and Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend (2001), folk artist Will Moses has provided abundant evidence that the golden age of children's literature is far from over. Moses' new volume, Mother Goose, a sublime blending of New England and fairy tale motifs, is his finest work since leaving Washington Irving's haunted Hudson River Valley behind.

Here, Moses has created glorious landscapes that are equal parts 18th Century bucolic America and timeless dream country: Jack and Jill, the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Little Bo Peep, Humpty Dumpty, Peter Pumpkin Eater, Old Mother Hubbard, Wee Willie Winkie, the Crooked Man, and Little Miss Muffet dwell amongst and mingle with productive farmers on their way to market, well - groomed grocers standing proudly outside their pristine establishments, cows and sheep grazing peacefully in verdant pastures, whales frolicking in the distant sea, carefree boys rolling hoops through winding lanes, and loving families gathered together to watch the stars appear in the night sky. Rising over distant mountains, a curious moon eyes the scenery shyly; a smiling witch astride a broomstick sweeps the cobwebs back from the heavens; and the Queen of Hearts, slightly outraged, chases after her tray of stolen tarts. The four seasons, and the American Flag, figure prominently.

The characters from each of these 70 nursery rhymes and riddles are portrayed in 12 glorious, brightly - colored, and highly -detailed splash pages, each reminiscent of the work of Moses' famous great - grandmother, Anna Mary Robertson, "better know as Grandma Moses," as the liner notes state. The rhymes and riddles are presented on alternating pages, allowing Moses' paintings to shine unencumbered by text.

Like Moses' earlier books, Mother Goose is a visionary work that subtly underscores the pleasures of honest toil, the odd mysteries of life, the miracle of differentiation in human character and behavior, and God's presence in the immediate and the every day. Highly recommended for all ages.