In this book that is full of poems, there are many poems that have rhyming in the different poems. There is also repetition in the poems. Another thing I found in the poems was a voice of poetry. The voice of poetry that was in this book was conversation. Also each poem in this book was short and sweet. It got to the point that the poem was trying to make. There are parts of poems that you would normally hear such as Rain, Rain go away. In this book i found this one poem that was kind hard to say but it was fun to try to say, i found it was a tongue twister, "She sells Seashells on the Seashore". The illustrations show exactly what the poem is saying. Some of the drawings in the book, there is two lines from the poem with the drawing and it helps students understand what the poem is trying to say. The drawings are done like how a child would likely imagine when they are reading the poem. The poems are descriptive and the drawings show what/how the poem describes the animals and people in the poems. ( )

This is a cute illustrated book of all the mother goose poems form aesop fables and more. Children will love the cleverness and the easy flow of the writing. The lexile is not available. Interest level is k-2 ( )

Traditional rhymes illustrated by the well-known artist -- some of them familiar, others obscure. This one would be ideal for reading to the very young, especially in light of what we've read about the important of singing to children, as almost all the rhymes follow a simple, easy-to-sing pattern. Most of the Mother Goose options contained similar rhymes (though I hadn't heard the one about the cat with the gout before) so it really comes down to which illustrations you prefer. James Marshall's show the same charming humor that's evident in his other illustration work such as The Stupids and Miss Nelson Is Missing. ( )

Marshall, J. (1979). James Marshall’s mother goose. A Sunburst Book.

James Marshall’s Mother Goose contains short, humorous rhymes. Young children will have fun saying the rhymes, especially the tongue twister about Betty Botter. The simple line drawings use watercolor, crayon, and pencil. The drawings are comical. The characters, many of which are animals, have goofy expressions. For instance, in one rhyme, an alligator is sipping a drink and selling seashells along the beach. Or in another rhyme, the mischievous mice are taking care of the cat with gout. With these kinds of drawings, children might just love them more than the rhymes. This version of Mother Goose is a fresh take on the typical Mother Goose stories, and it will be sure to entertain them.

James Marshall’s Mother Goose and Hey, Mama Goose provide different alternatives to the typical Old Mother Goose rhymes. While I think that the traditional and familiar texts of Mother Goose rhymes or songs can help scaffold children’s language development, these alternative nursery rhymes can serve as extensions to lessons on Mother Goose or be a fun break from the traditional Mother Goose stories.

James Marshall presents his pictorial version of classic Mother Goose rhymes in this picture book. His lively, silly animals,and people perfectly reflect the wacky subject matter in all of the rhymes he selected. The marriage of words and artistry is perfectly realized in this fantastic addition to the genre. ( )