Many of our classic nursery rhymes are English. Thus many classic nursery rhyme books include pictures set in England. Not so this book of nursery rhymes which are all acompanied by illustrations of colonial and frontier America. A little pioneer girl looks up at the stars next to a covered wagon on the prairie. A father in a coonskin cap goes hunting for baby bunting. An old-fashioned steam train is stopped by a herd of curious cows.
The book is beautifully illustrated by the Petershams. Some of the nursery rhymes are more obscure and confusing (the good old ABCD goldfish) or somewhat violent as nursery rhymes tend to be ("the old trot's dead.") But the well-known classics are included (from Little Jack Horner to Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater) and the less well-known ones are equally entertaining. For American children, this is a unique book that portrays a wide diversity of American history.
Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews
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