Friday, July 8, 2011

Did you like Nursery Rhymes as a kid?

posted by Melissa
Who liked to have nursery rhymes read to them as a child?
"Me! Me! I did!"
I was looking through some of my kids book shelves the other day and I came across this book from my own childhood.  Best Loved Nursery Rhymes and Songs (with Helpful Guide for Parents.)  I flipped through the pages; remembering my pink gingham bedspread and 70's green metal kitchen set, my birthday girl statues sitting sweetly on the dark pink corner shelf that hung up to the right of my bed.
After I returned back to the year 2011, I read rhyme after rhyme.  The pictures in this book are so old-school.  Some of the poems even more so, harkening back to what seems like ages ago, with their misogynistic tone.  (ok, so for some, still alive and strong today...just not in my home.  Right, Jamie?)

I recall this poem as a favorite, "There was a Little Girl and She Had a Little Curl."  I had stick straight golden blond hair and don't believe I ever acted horrid as a child.  Perhaps it foreshadowed to my curly, teased, big permed hair high school days.




Pictured below is the doozy I read this morning.  I'll type it out here, since the print is hard to read: 

"Needles and Pins"

Needles and pins,
needles and pins,
When a man marries
his trouble begins.

In my parents defense, I never remember hearing this one as a child.


Lastly, this is one I have known by heart for decades.  And it turned out to be one of Lily's favorite poems  as well when she was younger (although she just alerted me that she hates it now.  She hates lots of things now.  Disgusting is her most used word.  She says she writes much better poems and that I should post one.  I will, another time.)  I think it may have been one of the first things she recited from her own memory.


Good bye for now,
Melissa

3 comments:

sophanne said...

There is a collection of "darker" less popular nursery rhymes called I Saw Esau by Iona and Peter Opie. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. I got it used from abe's books for $2 plus shipping. You may be able to find some samples online.

Melissa said...

perhaps I should check that out, I have found I have only about 1 years left of this kind of reading with Tallulah being 6. But maybe if it is darker, the older kids might delight in the mishaps and misfortunes.
thanks!

Anonymous said...

I stayed up for hours reading this nursery rhyme book as a,kid..great memories..