Fun and Facts!
Mother Goose Day is May 1.
 Mother Goose Day was founded in 1987 by Gloria T. Delamar in tandem with the publication of her book, Mother Goose; From Nursery to Literature (MFarland Pub.). The day is now listed in many calendars of events and celebrated throughout the United States. It has been noted by municipalities and has a particular appeal to kindergarten through primary grades and libraries.
Who was Mother Goose?
Mother Goose rhymes are from many sources, passed down in folklore fashion and perpetuated by publishers, frequently without author attribution.
The original Tales of Mother Goose published in 1697 in France marked the beginnings of a new literary genre known as the fairy tale.
According to the Mother Goose Society, “In 1697 Charles Perrault used the phrase in a published collection of eight fairy tales which included "The Sleeping Beauty," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Bluebeard," and others. Although the book was titled, (translated from French) Histories and Tales of Long Ago, with Morals, the frontispiece showed an old woman spinning and telling stories, with a placard on the page which bore the words Contes de la Mere l'Oye (Tales of My Mother the Goose). It set the stage for the name to become a household word.
Later the Brothers Grimm in Germany ("Repunzel", "Snow White" and "Hansel and Gretel") and Hans Christian Andersen in Denmark ("The Snow Queen", "The Little Mermaid", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Ugly Duckling") contributed to the widespread knowledge of such tales by retelling them in their respective languages.
The first English appearance of Mother Goose is sometimes erroneously credited to puppeteer, Robert Powel. The script for one of his puppet shows between 1709 and 1711 misprinted Mother Goose instead of Mother Lowse.
The single most important promoter of the designation of Mother Goose as writer of children's rhymes was John Newbery and his Mother Goose's Melody: or Sonnets for the Cradle. With his adoption of her name for a collection of mostly traditional rhymes, he usurped her former alliance with fairy tales. The publication date is agreed by scholars to be about 1765.
 Newbery's book was widely pirated and numerous editions were reprinted in England and America with additional rhymes. The designation "Mother Goose Rhymes" took hold.
In 1860 Elizabeth Goose, wife of Worcester publisher Isaiah Thomas, became the "Boston Mother Goose." Another account says the originator of the tales was Elizabeth Goose--the great-grandmother of publisher Isaiah Thomas's wife. Either way, a tour of the Freedom Trail in Boston includes a stop at the headstone of “Elizabeth Goose” and credited as the real Mother Goose
So, origins of Mother Goose terminology are vague—and authorship of the verses is known to be varied—yet, we all know that Mother Goose is—somehow—real.
Condensed from material in Mother Goose: From Nursery to Literature (McFarland Pub.) by Gloria T. Delamar as stated on the Mother Goose Society’s web site.
The Classics
While Mother Goose is credited with authoring many nursery rhymes, some were penned by Hans Christian Anderson. Others have become so embraced by mass consciousness that the author has long been forgotten, but is forever appreciated.
Jack and Jill
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Diddle Diddle Dumpling My Son John
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
Ol’ King Cole
Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle
Hickory, Dickory Dock
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Old Mother Hubbard, Went to the Cupboard
There was an Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe
Jack be Nimble
 Three Blind Mice
Little Boy Blue
Little Bo-Peep Has Lost Her Sheep
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
I’m a Little Teapot
Ring Around the Roses
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Little Miss Muffet
Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake
Three Little Kittens
Little Jack Horner
Rock a-bye, Baby
What are Little Girls Made of/What are Little Boys Made of?
Wee Willie Winkie
One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Once I Caught a Fish Alive
Betty Botter Bought Some Butter
There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly |
