Vintage Mother Goose Rhymes copyright 1957 by Watty Piper, Illustrated by Lois Lenski

The figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes – often published as Mother Goose Rhymes.
As a character, she only appears in one nursery rhyme.

This vintage 1957 edition by Watty Piper is a very large (10"x12") red hardcover with black illustration of large number of children carrying porridge walking away from Old Mother Hubbard and her shoe.
It is in very good condition with many colorful illustrations.
There are index pages to First Lines for easy reference of all your favorites.
Clean pages -no rips or tears or markings. No dust jacket.
Strong spine with minimal rubbing on edges.

‘Mother Goose’ is generally depicted in illustrations as an elderly country woman in a tall hat and shawl (a costume identical to the peasant costume worn in Wales in the early twentieth century). But she is also sometimes depicted as a goose (usually wearing a bonnet).
She is credited with the Mother Goose stories and rhymes popularized in the 1700s in English-language literature, although no specific writer has ever been identified with such a name

The initiator of the literary fairy tale genre, Charles Perrault (1628 – 1703) published a collection inspired by the old oral traditions of French and European folklore. It was released in 1697, and titled Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals (‘Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé’). It was subtitled Tales of Mother Goose (‘Les Contes de ma Mère l’Oye’). Perrault’s publication marks the first authenticated starting-point for Mother Goose stories.

In 1729 an English translation of Perrault’s collection appeared; Robert Samber’s Histories or Tales of Past Times, Told by Mother Goose. This work introduced Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Cinderella and other Perrault tales to English-speaking audiences.

The first public appearance of the Mother Goose stories in the New World was in Worcester, Massachusetts. The printer, Isaiah Thomas reprinted Samber’s volume under the same title, in 1786
As a testament to this character’s ability to inspire and entertain generations of readers, Mother Goose continues to influence popular culture internationally.
The rhymes lend plot elements, allusions and tropes to a wide variety of artistic mediums. The various tales, poems and plays have been translated into many different languages and very excitingly, continue to evolve in the present day.