In addition to being May Day and National Chocolate Parfait Day, May 1st is also Mother Goose Day. Huzzah!
I loved Mother Goose rhymes as a child, and I used them a lot when I taught kindergarten and first grade. That experience was especially interesting since I taught a mostly Latino/Filipino population, and a lot of the kids had never heard these rhymes before. But the infectious rhythm soon had them choosing favorites, and sometimes writing their own versions as well.
I did the same thing as a child. My very first writing obsession was with little Robin Redbreast. I spent hours with those primary writing papers–newsprint with half the page blank for pictures, and several lines for writing across the bottom. My Robin went on adventure after adventure, and he always emerged unscathed.
In case you don’t remember, here’s the original text:
ROBIN REDBREAST
Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree,
Up went Pussy-Cat, down went he,
Down came Pussy-Cat, away Robin ran,
Says little Robin Redbreast: “Catch me if you can!”
Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a spade,
Pussy-Cat jumped after him, and then he was afraid.
Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did Pussy say?
Pussy-Cat said: “Mew, mew, mew,” and Robin flew away.
Do you have a favorite Mother Goose rhyme? Here’s a link in case you need a refresher: http://www.cybercrayon.net/readingroom/books/mothergoose/realmothergoose.html.
And just to make the celebration complete, here’s a chocolate parfait for you (the no-calorie version). 🙂
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Avid writer and reader of Faerie tales and noblebright fantasy.
Cathleen Townsend 
My favourite is Sing a Song of Sixpence. There’s a part where you (the teller) gets to take of the nose of the listener. And then Jenny Wren (again the teller) puts in on again.
I also love Lavender’s Blue. I think it’s all those “dilly-dillies” for each line. 🙂
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I also liked Sing a Song of Sixpence, although for me the best part was the mental image of all the blackbirds flying out of the pie.
And I like the little nonsense rhyme bits, too. I used to sing “A Tisket, A Tasket” quite a bit.
All those rhymes really formed the soundtrack of my childhood. 🙂
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A lovely reminder of Mother Goose nursery rhymes, Cathleen.
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Thanks, Robbie. 🙂
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Mother Goose still rocks! I loved them all… Itsy Bitsy Spider and Three Little Kittens are still two of my favorites. Happy Mother Goose Day, Cathleen. Thanks for the lovely reminder. ❤ xo
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Who didn’t love the itsy-bitsy spider? And the Three Little Kittens always had adorable illustrations. Great picks, Bette, and thanks for the attagirl. 🙂
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Love the nursery rhymes, sad we don’t hear the young one saying them these days. Thanks for the memory.
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My pleasure. And we can pass them along in a small way, to kids and grandkids, etc. 🙂
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I can’t specifically recall any nursery rhyme, but I do remember that as a young child, my favorite book was a huge, illustration book of Mother Goose’s rhymes! Thanks for the reminder.
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Yes, the illustrations on rhymes and fairy tales were really an integral part of the attraction, I think. Glad I could spark a memory. 🙂
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I had no idea this was Mother Goose Day. You’d think one of my fellow teachers would have mentioned it! Sigh.
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If you go to https://nationaldaycalendar.com/ on the first of every month, you too can be a master of obscure and amusing holidays. 🙂
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Lovely post!
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Thanks, willow! 🙂
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It’s my pleasure 💜
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I read Mother Goose poems to my grandson. Some of them are a little odd and I have to change the words, but most are lovely. When I worked with little ESL kids, songs and poems were great ways to teach English. The rhymes made them so easy to remember. Happy Belated Mother Goose Day. 😀
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The same to you, Diana. One of my grandson’s favorite books is the Hickory Dickory Dock book I bought him, although the marvelous illustrations didn’t hurt either. 🙂
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Thanks for sharing and enjoy the day.
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It was my pleasure. 🙂
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Mother Goose is definitely a classic. Do things like this (fun, sweet, educational) exist anymore?
Parfaits are great! Even without chocolate.
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I loved Mother Goose as a child, and I’m still quite fond of her as an adult. : )
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