The Neighborhood Mother Goose Rhymes

Bibliography
Crews, Nina. 2004. The Neighborhood Mother Goose Rhymes. GreenWillow Books. ISBN: 9780060515744.

Plot Summary
This book is a collection of some very familiar mother goose rhymes that children like to sing everyday. Children will find their favorites like “Hey Diddle Diddle”, “Jack and Jill”, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and many other enjoyable rhymes.

Critical Analysis
Nina Crews has done an excellent work in collecting these poetic gems and creating photographic illustrations that are a real treat to the children. Nina Crew has picked rhymes that will not only entertain children but will also encourage them to sing and enact as they read. The illustration’s brings out the beauty in this book and makes it different from other Mother Goose Rhymes books. The illustrations have been inspired by Nina Crew’s Brooklyn neighborhood experiences. The pictures are a blend of real photographs with imaginative manipulations that brilliantly tell the story in each rhyme. For example, in the song “Hey Diddle Diddle” a cat is holding the violin and you can see a cow near the moon. In “Jack, Be Nimble” song, pictures have been manipulated such that you can see a child jumping over a candle lit on a cupcake. The illustrations just add to the joy of reading the rhymes.

The book surely is a delight for the young readers.