Mother Goose Day

Founded in 1987 by Gloria T. Delamar, at the time of the publication of her book Mother Goose: From Nursery to Literature, Mother Goose Day is dedicated to Mother Goose nursery rhymes and the mysterious and unknown author behind them. Its aim is "to re-appreciate the old nursery rhymes" and its motto is "Either alone or in sharing, read child nursery favorites and feel the warmth of Mother Goose's embrace."

Mother Goose is attributed as the author of thousands of childrens' stories, from French fairy tales to English nursery rhymes, that have been passed down over the centuries, first orally and then being written down. They teach lessons and entertain, and have been published in numerous collections. Charles Perrault, a French writer from the seventeenth century, considered the creator of the fairytale genre, is credited with the publication of the first Mother Goose stories in 1697, Contes de ma mère l'oye, meaning "Tales of my Mother Goose." His work was translated to English by Robert Samber and published in 1729 as Histories, or, Tales of Past Times, Told by Mother Goose. Mother Goose's popularity further expanded with the publication of Mother Goose’s Melody; or, Sonnets for the Cradle by John Newberry in 1781. Newberry's book was published in American by Isiah Thomas in 1785.

Mother Goose, often portrayed as a beak-nosed elderly woman, sometimes riding on a flying gander, is most likely fictitious, although there are tales about her being a real person. Some historians suggest she is a reference to Bertrada II of Laon, the mother of Charlemagne, who was known as "Goose-foot Bertha" and dedicated herself to caring for children in the eighth century. Another story claims she is a reference to Bertha of Burgundy, wife of King Robert II of France, who reputedly told tales that did much to garner the attention of children. In France, the name mere l’oye, meaning "Mother Goose," was used by the mid-1600s to identify women who entertained children with stories and rhymes. An account claiming Mary Goose from Boston to be Mother Goose is unlikely since the name had already been used for decades in France when she died in 1690. Despite Mother Goose almost certainly being a fictitious character, Mother Goose Day is dedicated to this mysterious author and her stories.

How to Observe Mother Goose Day

The founder has suggested celebrating in the following ways:

• Get several editions of Mother Goose Rhymes and compare how different illustrators have depicted the same characters. Fine artists all have their own ways of illustrating the rhymes. Of particular note are the following (though some are old editions, reprints are readily available): Randolph Caldecott (most drawn 1880- 1886), Walter Crane (1877 & 1879), Raymond Briggs (1966), Marguerite de Angeli (1954), W. W. Denslow (1901), Roger Duvoisin (1936), Kate Greenaway (1881 & c1990), Lois Lenski (1927), Helen Oxenbury (1975), Maud & Miska Petersham (1945), Alice & Martin Provensen (1976), Peter Spier (1967), Arthur Rackham (1913), Jessie Wilcox Smith (1914), Gustaf Tenggren (1940), Tasha Tudor (1944). This can be carried further by having a discussion of opinions on which illustrations best show the characters in the eyes of the particular reader.
• Have small groups act out skits of different rhymes (with only a few minutes to put together their acts). A variation on this is to give each group the rhyme to act out in pantomime, and have the other groups guess which rhyme is being acted.
• Another variation on acting out the rhymes is to play traditional Charades, with nursery rhymes as the focus.
• Search out the Mother Goose rhymes which are set to music and have a Mother Goose Songfest.
• Seek out Mother Goose Rhymes which have fingerplay actions, and teach them to the children. (The single largest source of fingerplays is Children's Counting-Out Rhymes, Fingerplays, Jump-Rope and Bounce-Ball Chants and Other Rhythms: A Comprehensive English-Language Reference by Gloria T. Delamar.)
• Have participants cook together to make a simple recipe associated with a Mother Goose rhyme. i.e. "Curds and Whey," associated with Little Miss Muffet, is an old term for cottage cheese; "Pease Porridge" is thick pea soup. A surprisingly tasty snack is to put pea soup as a spread (directly from the can with no liquid added) on crackers.
• With the right age group, introduce the "rhythm and patter" of a nursery rhyme for writers to imitate in creating their own verses. Quite aside from Mother Goose Day, this is a useful device for teaching an understanding of the patterns of poetry. This technique has been used with both children and adults.
• Have a simple line-by-line recitation of rhymes, with participants taking turns giving the next line. Stay with the better-known rhymes so no one will be embarrassed.
• The most basic way to celebrate is to read aloud from an attractively illustrated edition of Mother Goose rhymes.

Additional ideas of ways you could observe the day include picking up Mother Goose: From Nursery to Literature, the book Gloria Delmar published that coincided with her creation of Mother Goose Day, picking up a Mother Goose collection, or using online Mother Goose printables, crafts, and activities.

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