Blog Post
5 surprising things nursery rhymes teach us about surviving a pandemic
Tracey at Rhyme and Reason Books • Apr 10, 2020
When I became an adult, I was shocked to realize how non-kid-friendly the nursery rhymes I had loved as a child actually were. I know many of them have deeper meanings — more on that in a future post — but why on earth would people read these poems about violence and death to children? I still can’t answer that, but surprisingly, when the world gets turned upside down by a pandemic, nursery rhymes seem like they just might contain a lesson after all.
Be prepared
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to get her poor dog a bone. When she got there the cupboard was bare, and so the poor dog had none. She went to the baker’s to buy him some bread, but when she came back the poor dog was dead.
Definitely not suitable reading material for preschoolers right? But there’s a lesson in there for us, and apparently it applies not just to pet food, but also to toilet paper, cleaning supplies, chicken, and ice cream. So please, make a list, put on your mask, stock up on two-weeks’ worth of necessities, and then remain at home. Which brings me to the second lesson…
Shelter in place
Peter Peter Pumpkin-eater had a wife and couldn’t keep her. He put her in a pumpkin-shell, and there he kept her very well.
Apparently Mrs. Peter had no choice in the matter. And right now, neither do we. Many of us feel like we’re living squashed (get it?) in a pumpkin shell with our nearest and dearest right now. The question is did Mrs. Peter’s pumpkin have WiFi? Could she work at home while also schooling her children, ordering groceries, and streaming enriching educational content?
Maintain social distance
Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry. When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away.
Why did people read things like this to us when we were mere babies? I don’t know, but please stay at least six feet away from Georgie Porgie and everyone else. There’s never been a worse time to be kissed by strange men.
Cover your sneezes
Rock a bye baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock. When the bow breaks the cradle will fall. Down will come baby, cradle and all.
You always wondered why this terrifying little ditty was in a children’s book, didn’t you? Imagine that your sneeze is the wind propelling tiny virus particles through the air and knocking the cozy little baby right out of the tree. You don’t want to be responsible for that. Please cough or sneeze into your elbow.
Obey curfews
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town, upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown, rapping at the window, crying through the lock, “Are the children in their beds? Now it’s eight o’clock."
Some argue that curfews are over-restrictive since people are just as contagious in the morning as they are in the evening. Obviously they don’t remember this uh, gentleman from their childhood. If your mayor or governor says you have to stay in at night, it’s for your own good. You don’t want to run into this guy. He clearly doesn't know the meaning of social distance..
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
About the author: Tracey fell in love with old children's books when she was nine, and that was that. Her shop, Rhyme and Reason Books, sells vintage children's books and ephemera on Etsy for collectors, crafters, and decorators. As a writer, literacy instructor, and library volunteer, she donates a portion of every sale to children's literacy initiatives to foster the next generation of readers.
I haven't posted for Fast Fact Friday in a long time, but while researching the origins of these antique cartes de visite this week, I learned about a fascinating early photographer and had to share! Cartes de visite are small photographs mounted on heavy card stock that were used in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as calling cards -- comparable to the business cards of today but for social purposes. The backs often featured the name and address of the photographer. I'm always curious about the items I buy for my vintage shop and try to learn as much about them as I can before I post them on Etsy. I noticed the photographer's name at the bottom of the photos. So I turned over the portrait of the couple. Nothing but the name of the woman in the photo, an ancestor of the person from whom I bought the photos. I checked the back of the portrait of the girl. Nothing. Then I turned over the photo in the center and found the most gorgeous business card for Maria Tesch's portrait studio. Don't you love the typography?
Save money with these quick and easy ways to tell when a book isn’t really a first edition without having to do any research.
Library catalog cards have really made a comeback. Banished from libraries in the 1990s in favor of digital catalogs, the cards have recently made a resurgence, especially at weddings. But what does that code in the top left corner mean?
When I was a tween, I devoured mystery novels. Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, the Bobbsey Twins, Cherry Ames, the Happy Hollisters, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, and Miss Marple were part of my daily life. And so was the distinctive and sometimes confusing vocabulary found in old detective books — words like henchmen, confederates, inquest, and most baffling of all, red herring.
This Jersey shore town saw the founding of a prestigious book award
A closer look at the career of children's author Helen Palmer, wife of Dr. Seuss
From Peter Pan to Curious George to Nancy Drew, some of the most beloved characters in children’s literature are notably motherless. So for Mother’s Day, let’s salute that most elusive of all fictional characters — the children’s book mom — with this quiz.
On this National Hairstyle Appreciation Day, we may be feeling not-so-appreciative of our current styles given the closure of hair salons in many places. Here are seven characters from vintage children's books who remind us to love the hair we're in.
The children’s book world lost one of its most prolific author/illustrators today with the passing of Tomie dePaola, 85. You love his books, but how much do you know about him? Let’s review a few facts, starting with how to say his name.
Can you name the beloved children's book that opens with each of the lines below?