The Glorious Mother Goose

With the proliferation of new editions of Mother Goose each year, it's easy to forget that artists have been illustrating these rhymes for centuries. Edens's compilation celebrates the work of some of the best illustrators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Well-known figures like Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway, Walter Crane, L. Leslie Brooke and Arthur Ransome are included; also represented are lesser-known artists like Mabel Lucie Atwell, Anne Anderson and Peter Newell. Almost every rhyme is accompanied by the works of two artists, providing interesting contrasts in style and interpretation. What results is an unusual and beautiful introduction not only to Mother Goose but also to artists of historical merit in children's books. All ages. (August)