A Child's Treasury of Nursery Rhymes

Description

96 pages
Contains Index
$24.95
ISBN 1-55074-554-9
DDC j398.8

Publisher

Year

1998

Contributor

Illustrations by Kady MacDonald Denton
Reviewed by Lorraine Douglas

Lorraine Douglas is the youth services co-ordinator at the Winnipeg
Public Library.

Review

This collection of more than 140 rhymes is divided into four sections:
Welcome, Little Baby; Toddler Time; In the Schoolyard; and All Join In.
Each page is filled with delightful rhymes and expressive line and
watercolor illustrations. Each rhyme is introduced by a capital letter.
Sometimes there are several small illustrations on a page. Elsewhere
there are double-page spreads, such as the poignant illustration of a
little girl watching “Flying-man, Flying-man” who is up in the sky.
Some illustrations depict two rhymes in a narrative tableau; for
example, in the toddler section, “Elsie Marley” dozes in bed across
from a sleeping “Frиre Jacques.”

Kady captures the playfulness of the rhymes throughout. Her
illustrations rival those of Helen Oxenbury in their humorous portrayal
of engaging children. There is a nice mix of multicultural faces and
rhymes from different parts of the world, including China, Africa, and
India. A first-line and title index is included. This substantial and
beautiful collection of rhymes is a great resource for families, Mother
Goose programs, daycares, and libraries. Highly recommended.

Citation

Denton, Kady MacDonald., “A Child's Treasury of Nursery Rhymes,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed October 9, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/19569.