The Nursery Rhymes

Although the textual variants for all the rhymes are primarily taken from the same set of references, the visual interpretations are drawn from a far greater range of sources to present different interpretations, different media, and different time periods. The “Visual Versions and Variants” page for each rhyme presents viewers with thumbnail images which can be enlarged to see details and to more fully appreciate the work of art. Some, but not all, of these images have “Visual Interpretations” which are no more than one person’s view at one moment in time. They are included to encourage others to look more closely at these illustrations and to compare and contrast both the various artists’ presentations of the rhyme and their own interpretations of a particular image with that of another viewer. Ultimately the aim of this process is to share some of the wonderful and imaginative artistic creations that accompany the old rhymes in the many Mother Goose books for children. Of course, to fully appreciate these illustrations, one should study them in the books themselves. Our hope is that this website will bring readers back to the books.