Since children develop the critical language and early reading skills necessary to enter kindergarten between birth and age five, reading aloud is one of the most influential steps librarians, teachers, parents, and caregivers can take to foster preschoolers' literacy skills. Early exposure to books heavily influences vocabulary knowledge, which…

A critique of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes for their focusing on concepts of white supremacy, negative self-images, and unreal depictions of life. Examples are given of nursery rhymes written by black people for black children. (EH)

Explains the origins and meanings of Mother Goose rhymes. (RB)

Rewriting nursery rhymes was found to be a successful method of vocabulary development. (JH)

Cites numerous examples from "The Real Mother Goose" supporting the contention that many of the rhymes are sexist. (TO)

Suggests ways to bring nursery rhymes into the elementary school classroom through creative dramatics, creative writing, and reading experiences. (DD)

Describes an infant and toddler public library program called "Mother Goose Time." It is a language enrichment program that uses rhymes, songs, and books to lay the foundations of listening, learning, and literacy. Activities are planned according to the babies' motor skills--they are divided into two groups, "prewalkers" and "walkers". A list of…

Another in the series "Coleccion Mini-Libros" (Mini-Book Collection), the booklet contains the Mother Goose Rhymes translated into Spanish. Editorial Almaden (the publishing house) offers the booklet not only for the amusement and education of Spanish-speaking children but for use by parents and teachers who wish to stimulate an interest in…

Parents and teachers often ask for help in finding a variety of appropriate language arts materials to use with blind preschoolers through age 4. (LH)

Iona and Peter Opie's contribution to children's literature began with a volume on the origins of nursery rhymes. A nursery rhyme tells a brief and memorable surrealist story about people, animals, or familiar activities. Most nursery rhymes were not originally composed for children but were fragments of ballads or folk songs, remnants of ancient…

Over 100 pages of nursery, nonsense, and nature rhymes for the preschool and primary-grade Spanish-speaking child are presented. Included are patio plays, riddles, and outdoor games. All rhymes are given in English on one page and Spanish on a corresponding page. Additionally, each page contains color illustrations in the 3 sections: rhymes,…