Penelope Colville Paine

Mother Nature Nursery Rhymes is, as the title suggests, a collection of nursery rhymes that have a theme of nature and caring for the environment. The authors have taken several popular nursery rhymes like “Little Miss Muffet,” “Humpty Dumpty,” “Ba, Ba, Black Sheep,” and others, reimagining them with different lines that focus on nature. I’m not sure if all the poems in the book were rewrites (if so there were several I wasn’t familiar with) or if some of them were original works. Either way, they were all well written with great rhythm. The lyrical cadence should delight preverbal little ones, but slightly older children, up to about early elementary age, should enjoy the book as well. In fact, the authors have included educational resources at the back of the book for the older ones, such as suggested nature activities, a brief quiz, a short glossary of science terms, and a list of various organizations to visit for more information. Itoko Maeno’s watercolor illustrations accompanying the text are quite lovely and include a beautiful alphabet of animals and plants on the end papers. Overall, I thought this was a very enjoyable book that would be great for parents who want to teach their children about the wonder of nature and the importance of being environmentally responsible from a young age.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.… (més)

This book has some of the most amazing illustrations I have ever seen, to be honest. They were so whimsical and eye-catching. The point of the poems is to help young(er) children understand the importance of taking care of the Earth and I think they do that. They change the words of some well known poems (Hey diddle, diddle, and Jack & Jill for example) and give them a different meaning to protect the world around you and I really appreciate that. We only have one planet and I really like the thought behind this. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for any age.… (més)

This is the revised edition of the original 1990 book by Sandy Stryker, with additional authors Mindy Bingham and Penelope Colville Paine.  Some of the poems are original, others are rewrites of Mother Goose and other nursery rhymes, with an environmental message.  The book ends with some resources for parents or teachers.

The book's description indicates it's for ages 1-5, but I think it is more appropriate for young school-age children (maybe grades K to 4th or 5th).  Although the authors note in the introduction that "it has been shown that the lyrical cadence of nursery rhymes makes them fun and easy for children to repeat and remember," I also believe it's hearing everyone say the same rhymes that make this happen.  I think this book would fit better with older children who can understand that the rhymes have been altered, and that it was done so to encourage them to take care of nature and the environment.

The best aspect of the book is the lovely watercolor illustrations by Itoko Maeno.  The alphabet on the endpapers, with an example of an animal and a plant beginning with each letter, is especially nice.  However, that's also additional evidence  that the book would be better for older children, as some of the choices are species with longer names that are more difficult to spell and pronounce.  For example, delphinium was used instead of the simpler daisy.… (més)