Tail Feathers From Mother Goose

TAIL FEATHERS FROM MOTHER GOOSE THE OPIE RHYME BOOK
Iona and Peter Opie 1988

A real gem of a collection of nursery rhymes and children‘s chants. Iona and Peter Opie were collectors and scholars of folklore, rhymes, and children‘s literature. Their massive collection was aquired by the Bodleian library at Oxford. How I would have loved to roam their house! Each rhyme is illustrated by a different artist (such as Quentin Blake, Marc Brown, Babette Cole, Jan Ormerod, Helen Oxenbury) so each page is as varied as the next. I’m a sucker for good word rhymes and have my own humble collection of Mother Goose and the like. There’s a wonderful introduction by Iona and also little bits about the origin of the verses or definition of old words.

This is a book of cordials and simples. The rhymes and their accompanying illustrations provide comfort for the heart or an antidote to melancholy, fit for adult or child.