Mother Goose
Mother goose may be the author of mother goose nursery rhymes, and once you read these old nursery rhymes you will find that the nursery rhymes lyrics come right back to you.
Mother Goose?
Who was she?
Many different writers have been credited with the creation of the name.
In fact there is no way to actually know who popularized the name.
It is generally agreed that the nursery rhymes were passed down by mother to child for many centuries before any of them were put on paper.
First Published
In 1697 Charles Perreault published a collection of eight fairy tales.
These included "The Sleeping Beauty", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Cinderella", "Bluebeard" and a few others.
Although the book was published in French, it can be translated into English as "Histories and Tales of Long Ago, with Morals".
The front page of the book had a little drawing showing an old woman spinning and telling stories, with a line describing the picture as "Contes de la Mere L'Oye" which means Tales of My Mother the Goose.
In 1709 a man named Robert Powel presented puppet shows, and an 1828 article reporting on them misprinted the scripts as "Mother Goose".
Apparently it was a misprint and was actually "Mother Lowse".
John Newbery of about 1765 put together a book called "Mother Goose's Melody: or Sonnets for the Cradle".
Mr. Newbery's book was copied and reprinted in England, Boston, and New York with additional rhymes.
Mother Goose Rhymes
These little books were called "Mother Goose Rhymes".
These were probably the most famous, and took hold as the name we know today.
There are even those who attribute the famous rhymes to Elizabeth Goose, who was a great-grandmother of a famous publisher's wife.
Many people have tried to locate a grave, in Boston that is apparently unmarked.
Some actually visit the grave of someone named Mary Goose.
The fact is that the beginnings of these rhymes and stories are lost.
We can still love the rhymes though. Please enjoy the Mother Goose rhymes everyone knows.
This link takes you to a page with a collection of the rhymes that are popular - you will recognize them immediately!
Mother Goose rhymes are so fun!
Other Fairy Tales
When you go back to Fairy Tales, remember to check out the Grimms Fairy Tales, and the Andersen Fairy Tales, where you will find the amazing tales we all remember.
Or maybe you have never read these?
My Arabian Nights section will be new to a lot of you.
Not many have read the original version of Aladdin. Aladdin is an amazing tale that is hundreds of years old.
Aesops Fables are wonderful little rhymes, more similar to the Mother Goose rhymes, except that they have a very strong meaning. They are lessons of life.
Coloring
I have a wonderful bunch of Animal Coloring pages that are definitely from fairy tales.
There are other fairy tale creates like Dragons, or how about Unicorns?
Do you want pretty butterfly fairies, and princesses.
Here are some more...
Drawing
Do you know that you could draw your own illustrations to the Mother Goose rhymes?
There are so many wonderful things to draw. In fact did you know that once you start drawing, there is no end.
You can draw all of the fairy tales, every character you can imagine, and then...
there is always more.
Drawing is a hobby that is inexpensive, and a forever passion, once you get going. You must not judge your work, because every time you draw it gets better and better.
If you visit my How To Draw section you will find many free lessons. These can get you started.
This is a link to my drawing book of over 200 pages that takes you through the drawing of eleven whole fairies - from beginning to end - which gives you a more advanced lesson.
Facts and Info
If you want facts and interesting stories about Fairys, mermaids and unicorns this section is full of interesting and further fairy tale characters and fairy tale stories.
Dragon History is a section with fascinating stuff about dragons from all over the world.
Fairy Tale Art and Fun
This site is full of fairy and fairy tale art.
Paper Dolls are a fun way of creating fairy art - They are fun to play with and you will find Dress Up Games at the link.
