NURSERY ANTHOLOGY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 391, 20 December 1946, Page 23

NURSERY ANTHOLOGY

NURSERY RHYMES FOR’ CERTAIN TIMES. With drawings by Elinor Darwin. Faber and Faber Ltd. (London). S$ Walter De La Mare points out in his foreword to this new collection, nursery rhymes really call for no introduction. They are as incapable of ageing as of being supplantéd; everybody has learnt some at least and has never

forgotten them; but nobody has ever explained satisfactorily the secret of their charm and their longevity. For that matter, unless the reviewer is prepared-which this one isn’t-to launch into an essay on the subject of the origin and history of nursery rhymes, theré is really not much to say about the present volume, except that it is delightfully printed, charmingly and lavishly illustrated with line-drawings in sepia, and appears to be extraordinarily eomprehensive. There are, indeed, a tiumber of verses included in the present collection which were new to this reviewer, who claims to be as well informed on the subject and have as wide a repertoite as anybody who has been a.child arid is mow a parent. Almost as fascinating to the adult reader as finding new items and being reminded of old favourites, is the opportunity here provided to note how widely one version of a simple little jingle can differ from another. Indeed, when it comes to textual variations and eméndations, the various folios of Shakespeare have nothing on "Jack arid Jill,’ "Thete was a little man," and many other members of the family of Mother Goose (who herself; incident- ally, shows rfegrettable traces of antiSemitism). If you are looking for a Christmas present, this is obviously worth consideting; but it is too good a book to be put without reservation into the hands of infants. There are many other collections of nurséry thymés suitable for tearing up; this is a volume to be treasured.