Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

Little Jumping Joan is the girl of the solitary jumping rhyme. When nobody is with her she is always alone, and she jumps anyway.

Little Tom Tucker sings for his supper of white bread and butter. He is the rhyme of earning a meal with a song.

Georgie Peorgie is the boy of the pudding-and-pie rhyme. He is forward with the girls when they are quiet, and he is not brave when they begin to play.

Tom, the piper's son, learnt to play when he was young. With his pipe he makes such a noise that he pleases all the girls and boys.

Mother Goose is the cheerful old storyteller who gathers all these little poems together. She loves children and animals, and she shares every rhyme with a warm smile. Her big white goose is her best friend and waddles along beside her wherever she goes.

Little Bo-Peep is a gentle young shepherd girl who takes care of a flock of woolly sheep. She is kind and a little forgetful, and she loves being outdoors in the green fields. She carries a long curved stick to help guide her sheep.

Little Miss Muffet is a sweet, tidy little girl who loves to sit down for a quiet snack. She is polite and easily surprised. She enjoys her curds and whey, which is a soft, milky treat a bit like cottage cheese.

Jack is a lively, curious boy who turns up in many of the rhymes. He is brave and always ready for an adventure, whether he is climbing a steep hill or fetching a pail of water. He means well, even when things do not go quite as he planned.

Jill goes up the hill with Jack to fetch a pail of water. She is his partner in the climb. She is as much a part of that rhyme as he is.

Humpty Dumpty is a round, friendly egg who loves to sit up high on a wall and watch the world go by. He is jolly and proud of his fine perch. Everyone in the village knows him by his big cheerful smile.

Old King Cole is a merry, good-natured king who loves nothing more than music and fun. He calls for his pipe, his bowl, and his three fiddlers to fill his castle with cheerful songs. He is generous and almost always in a happy mood.

Mary, Quite Contrary is the girl of the garden rhyme. She is a little proud of her flowers and her rows of maids. Her garden is the most decorated in the book.

Mary's lamb is the faithful little animal of the school rhyme. It loves Mary and does not understand classrooms. It is as much a character as any child in the collection.

Old Mother Hubbard is a poor old woman whose cupboard is often bare. She loves her dog and keeps going out to fetch him things. She is one of the everyday grown-ups of the rhymes.

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town in his nightgown to see that the children are in bed. He is the rhyme of bedtime. He is not a grown-up watchman; he is a child on an errand.

Simple Simon is the boy of the fairground rhyme who wants a pie and has no penny. He is not unkind, only simple. The pieman is his opposite number.

Little Jack Horner sits in a corner eating a Christmas pie. He is the rhyme of being pleased with a plum. He is one of the sitting-still children, unlike Jack and Jill.

The cow who jumped over the moon is the most famous animal of the nonsense rhymes. She is not a farm animal doing farm work; she is a wonder. The cat, the dog, the dish, and the spoon are her companions in that sky.

Polly is the girl of the kettle rhyme. She is helpful and quick. When company is coming she puts the kettle on; when they have gone, Sukey takes it off again.

Little Tommy Tittlemouse lives in a little house and catches fishes in other men's ditches. He is the rhyme of small lives and borrowed streams.

Goosey Gander wanders upstairs and downstairs and into my lady's chamber. He is the goose of the house-rhyme, always on the move.

Willy Boy is going to the meadow to see them a-mowing and to help make the hay. He is the rhyme of a summer day's work.

Little Betty Blue has lost her holiday shoe. She is the rhyme of a small problem with a simple fix: another shoe to match the other.

Little Boy Blue is meant to look after the sheep and blow his horn when they stray. As the rhyme opens, the sheep are in the meadow and the cow is in the corn.