Annotation:
Mary Engelbreit has captured with wonderful illustrations traditional Mother Goose rhymes. Most are recognizable and others are not as familiar. Her illustrations capture the imagination of those who remember the rhymes from childhood and those that are new to Mother Goose.

My Review:
Mary Engelbreit has illustrated Mother Goose rhymes with wonderfully drawn and colorful images that compliment the featured rhymes in this collection (100). The pages are filled with her images that are of a size that can be studied to appreciate her attention to detail. I appreciate that she chose to layout the pages with each page containing only one or two rhymes therefore easy to read and follow. This is a wonderful book that will bring back memories for adults or create memories for children to enjoy year after year

Other Reviews

School Library Journal: Preschool through Grade 1 – This review emphasizes the clean and uncluttered layout of the pages. It mentions that the book includes family Mother Goose rhymes as well as other less familiar. The review also mentions “Engelbreit has outfitted her characters, both fantastic and human, in a variety of period clothes, from medieval to more contemporary,” and that most have an English look to them. Its values the publication stating “This volume is likely to prove popular with children and Engelbreit’s adult following. A solid collection that would be useful in any library”. I would have chosen this publication of Mother Goose rhymes because of the reviewer’s description of the illustrations which are so important to my evaluation of a good children’s book.

The only other review was for the audio version of this publication as written by Publishers Weekly Review: /* Starred Review */ -British actress, Lynn Redgrave, reads the 100 nursery rhymes which the reviewer highly praises, “The British actress is an inspired choice here, providing crisp pronunciation and lilting rhythm throughout. Cheery and playful without being silly, her performance catches all the fun-to-say and fun-to-hear elements of the verse.” The review suggests that the book could be used to follow along with the reading. Good suggestion from the reviewer. I definitely would search for this CD. ( )

(Jeanenne - BookHive(www.bookhive.org),n.d.)
Come and join Mother Goose, Jack Sprat, Little Miss Muffet, and other nursery rhyme characters in this wonderful collection. It contains both well-known rhymes like "Jack and Jill" and "Little Bo-Peep" and less common verses like the one about Lazy Elsie Marley. Mary Engelbreit (a popular greeting card artist) has taken the time to illustrate each rhyme with detail and color, making it a book that young children will enjoy with an adult or on their own. Many of the illustrations are large enough to be used in a storytime and include a multicultural array of children. The nursery rhyme index of first lines makes it easy to find your favorites. Category: Books & Babies; Folklore; Non-Fiction; Read Aloud. Grade Level: Babies; Toddlers; Preschool; Primary (K-3rd grade); Adult/Parent. 2005, HarperCollinsPublishers. Ages 0 to 9.

(Beverley Fahey,Children's Literature, n.d.)
Make room on the shelf for another worthy Mother Goose collection. Englebriet’s signature style gives a sweet and nostalgic charm to the verses that here run the gamut from the familiar to the lesser known. In addition to the tried and true like “Jack and Jill” and “Humpty Dumpty,” Engelbreit introduces readers to the likes of “Lazy Elsie Marley” and “Terrence McDidder, the three-stringed fiddler.” Her pussycat off to London to visit the Queen is a stylish feline in haut couture and her old woman from France in her dainty pink tutu is priceless. With wit and charm she has worked her illustrations to perfectly match each verse. An introduction by Leonard Marcus calls parents and caregivers to the importance of these “words both merry and wise” in language development for children. 2005, HarperCollins, $19.99. Ages 1 to 5. ( )