Sing a Song of Sixpence

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray teaches English at the University of
Western Ontario.

These are the nursery rhymes of our childhood, and our parents’
childhood, and our grandparents’ childhood. This collection covers a
wide spectrum of traditional English rhymes, from the more common
“Mary had a little lamb” and “Ring-a-ring o’roses” to the less
familiar “We are the music makers who come from London town” and
“Gregory Griggs, Gregory Griggs, / Had twenty-seven different wigs.”
Some of the rhymes appear in full-length versions that are rarely
included in nursery rhyme collections: “Old King Cole” has three
verses, and “Old Mother Hubbard” makes ten excursions on behalf of
her poor dog. The selection of rhymes presents an entertaining variety,
ranging from counting rhymes to learning rhymes to nonsense rhymes,
accompanied by bright, colorful, and lively illustrations. This book is
a delight, both for the young audience and for the older reader.

Of particular interest in this volume is the approach that has been
taken in the collection and presentation of the rhymes. While it has
become popular of late to sanitize the traditional nursery songs and
games, the notes that appear at the end of the text emphasize the age
and history of these rhymes, extolling them as “very special relics of
earlier times, which have been passed on from generation to
generation.” Although these rhymes are presented in their original,
unvarnished versions, reflecting the experience of children who “saw
all the cruelty that was part of everyday life in the past,” the notes
provide insight into the “many figures, customs and events from
history” preserved in the rhymes. Highly recommended.