Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose

Grades PK-3; ages 4-8

Tomie dePaola’s collection of traditional rhymes is a visual treat for both children and parents. His cheerful, humorous style enlivens 200 rhymes that star both the familiar Mother Goose cast of characters and those not as well known. Some pages are devoted to one rhyme–including all the verses–while other pages feature a variety of shorter rhymes or thematic groupings (such as verses about weather). Amidst the nursery rhymes are American poems such as “Yankee Doodle” and “Hush Little Baby,” along with traditional poems such as “Three Little Kittens.”

This collection is a delightful introduction to poetry as well as an entertaining, comprehensive Mother Goose book. Parents could read a few rhymes to younger children and longer segments to older preschoolers. Beginning readers who have grown up with this book will move naturally into reading Mother Goose on their own.