As children quite often the first poems or songs we hear are nursery rhymes, and we remember them. They become very much a part of our lives. Whether or not we later share them with our children they have not been forgotten. British artist Jackie Morris has collected some 40 nursery rhymes, some quite familiar, others not well known, and illustrated each with richly glorious paintings.
It was a joy for this reader to discover rhymes hitherto unknown to me, such as Grey Goose, I Had A Little Nut Tree, Cock a Doodle Doo, and more. I couldn’t possibly select a favorite but my young friends delight in The Lion and the Unicorn and giggle at Jumping Joan, which reads, “Here am I, little Jumping Joan, When nobody’s with me, I’m all alone.” (The giggles are usually followed by a “Well, of course” look).
This is a good size picture book, 9 by 12 inches, and each page is filled with vibrant colors and audacious characters such as white mice peeping from every porthole, deck and sail in “I Saw A Ship a-Sailing” or the greedy, audacious weasels in “Pop! Goes the Weasel!”
The Cat and the Fiddle is a keeper, a book that will be enjoyed, treasured, and saved for the next generation.
- Gail Cooke
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