Sing Mother Goose

music by Opal Wheeler with illustrations by Marjorie Torrey/ published 1945 by E.P. Dutton & Co.

With less than two weeks to go at my mom's house, I am panicked that I'm not gonna get the best books catalogued in time. ACK! So in the coming days I'll be reaching back and hitting the remainder of the really old ones belonging to my mom and her late sister. (My childhood books are for the most part headed back to San Antonio with me, so we'll have all the time in the world.)

Inscribed in scrawl with my aunt's name and her childhood address (as well as ancient crayon scribbling throughout) this book couldn't be more lovely. As the title says, it is a compendium of Mother Goose rhymes all set to music, and the drawings are superb. This picture in particular goes with Ride A Cock Horse.

Ride a cock horse
To Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady
Upon a white horse.
Rings on her fingers
And bells on her toes,
And she shall have music
Wherever she goes.

All the classics are covered from Baa Baa Black Sheep and There was a Crooked Man to Old King Cole and ~ my personal favorite ~ Bobby Shaftoe. I wish I had the time to scan the whole dang book as all the drawings are lavish and breathtaking. Even my little snap shot here doesn't do them justice. I imagine it will be pretty expensive to track down these real oldies, but here's hoping at least some of you have mother's attics of your own to ransack.