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| Mommy Goose : Rhymes from the Mountains
ISBN: 9780813166872
Platform/Publisher: Ebook Central / University Press of Kentucky
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Limited; Download: 7 Days at a Time
Subjects: Literature;
Norris presents nearly 50 charming nursery rhymes inspired by the culture, language, and traditions of Appalachia, which are accompanied by folk artist Adkins's hand-carved and brightly painted figurines (the duo previously collaborated on Sonny the Monkey and Bright Blue Rooster Down on the Farm). References to home cooking, farm animals, music, and misbehavior from young and old folks alike pepper the rhymes, a mix of brief, easy-to-memorize fare ("Pray for the pot./ Pray for the pot./ Sometimes it's full,/ Sometimes it's not") and longer offerings (in one early poem that spans several pages, "The raccoons ate up all the corn,/ Climbed in the car and honked the horn./ They played the radio and danced,/ And tried on Granpaw's underpants"). Wearing eyeglasses, a blue hat, and a stern, schoolmarmish expression, "Mommy Goose" herself makes several appearances, holding up rhyming messages about words written on what looks like wood shavings or bark ("A word can be sour,/ or sweet as a kiss,/ soft as a purr,/ harsh as a hiss"). Though the rhymes are grounded in Appalachian soil, their often-silly humor and the rough-hewn whimsy of Adkins's figurines should have broad appeal. All ages. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Mike Norris was the director of communications at Centre College for sixteen years before he retired. He is the author of Sonny the Monkey and Bright Blue Rooster: Down on the Farm and has recorded several collections of original music. Minnie Adkins is a folk artist with permanent collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Gallery of Art, the American Folk Art Museum, the Huntington Museum of Art, and the Kentucky Folk Art Center. She won the the Kentucky Arts Council's Artist Award honoring lifetime achievement in the arts and holds an honorary doctorate from Morehead State University. She has contributed essays to numerous collections on folk art and crafts. |
