W. W. Denslow (1856–1915)

Quickly read collection of Mother Goose rhymes, most familiar, some not. The illustrations are good, but the exact wording of some of these rhymes doesn't flow off the tongue as well as the versions I remember. The collection is also marred by Denslow's policy of re-writing to remove anything bad, so in his version of rock-a-bye baby the cradle doesn't fall!

When I first saw this picture book on Project Gutenberg’s website, I got very excited, as I know Winslow was the guy who illustrated the original Wizard of Oz books. As I read it, I admired his work, but while the pictures are whimsical, they truly reflect the times in which he lived. People are portrayed as caricatures and stereotypes of their race (African –American, Indian, etc), as today’s politically correct parents might not prefer. There are a number of nursery rhymes found in show more the book, although as there is no table of contests, there is no way to figure out how many without counting each and every one. I found it interesting how the rhymes have changed over the years; for example, when I was growing up, Pat-a Cake went:

Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker’s man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Roooooooll (there was a rolling motion we made) it and mark it with an A (or whatever letter that the person’s first name began with)
Put it in the over for Andie (or whoever the name is it was marked with) and me!

But in Winslow’s book it goes:

Pat a cake, pat a cake,
Baker’s man!
So I will, master, as fast as I can:
Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with a T, and
Put it in the oven for Tommy and me.

Very close but different enough that when I read it out loud, it sounded foreign.

I would not recommend this book to children, as it furthers some stereotypes I’d rather let go. Age: adult who can see that this book is a reflection of the time it was illustrated in. show less

A very cute story of the original Humpty Dumpty's son, who doesn't want to worry about breaking like his father did. He goes to the Black Hen for advice, and she sends him to the proverbial farmer's wife to ask her to put him in boiling water to harden him through and through. I admit I thought this might have a horrific ending, especially if the farmer's wife was hungry.

1. Summary & Comments:マザーグースに登場するハンプティー・ダンプティーの息子の話。どうしたら割れないか、彼はメンドリに相談する。彼はゆで卵となることで丈夫になり、人生を謳歌する。
発想が面白い絵本だった。ハンプティー・ダンプティーのことは知っていたので読みやすかった。

2. Line or Phrase: "is to go to the Farmer's Wife, next door, and tell ger to put you into a pot boiling hot show more water: your skin is so hard and smoorh"

3. Number of words:approximately 900

4. Reading time:15 min. show less