What Makes a Mother Goose a Mother Goose?
Thousands of artists have interpreted the character of Mother Goose using various media, approaches, and settings. Nonetheless, her image, in its many forms, is a familiar one. As we explore various illustrations here, we look at some of the factors that make Mother Goose a recognizable character to young and old alike. Popular American children’s poet and publisher Bruce Lansky has his own take on reinventing time-honored nursery rhymes. Lansky writes ” I couldn’t overlook the violent, scary, mean-spirited, or just plain weird aspects of many of the rhymes, so I eventually got out of the habit of reading Mother Goose to my children. When I talked to other parents about my experience with Mother Goose rhymes, I discovered I wasn’t alone. A few enjoyed passing on the traditional rhymes to their children, but a significant number either let their books gather dust on their bookshelves or revised the rhymes so their children would have positive bedtime-reading experiences.” If you close y
