The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes

by Jackie Morris (Illustrator)

With over forty traditional nursery rhymes, personally chosen by the illustrator and laid out in colour-drenched double spreads. this is a beautiful, painterly collection of rhymes that has the makings of a classic.

Included are familiar favourites such Hickory Dickory Dock, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Lavender's Blue, Ride a Cock Horse, Pop Goes the Weasel, To market, To market. And then there are some unusual rhymes to discover, such as Jumping Joan, Gray Goose and Gander, and Hark, Hark, the Dogs Do Bark.

The pictures contain lots of detail to pore over, with strong decorative elements and a fine sense of colour and design. The perfect book to share, not only with a baby, but with the whole family.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Nursery Rhymes

64 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2011

About the author

Jackie Morris lives in a small house on the Welsh coast. She wanted to be an artist from the earliest she could remember. After studying art at Hereford and Bath Academy she went on to illustrate for magazines and newspapers. She began her first book for children the week after her first child, Thomas was born and has gone on to illustrate and write many books.

Reviews

[Sarah Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has beautiful illustrations. I could look at it for hours. I wish that there were a movie done in this style so that I could.

There are some old favorite nursery rhymes in here like “hey diddle diddle”, “hickory dickory”, and “ba ba black sheep” but also some more obscure ones that I love like “lavender’s blue” and “all the pretty little horses” along with some that I’d never encountered before.

I could imagine sitting down and reading the whole book to a class at the same time, but I could see taking a few minutes to read a page and analyze the images in conjunction with the rhymes. It would also be good, for students who have never been exposed to some of these staples of American culture, to expose them and get the ideas in their brains.

[Kira Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copyright:2011
Number of pages:61
Format:Hardcover
Reading Level: PreK-1
Genre:Poetry
Lit requirement:Rhyme

Summary:
A set of nursery rhymes that are famous with most of them being Mother Goose. This book shows 40 of the most known and lesser-known rhymes that are the first poems that most children hear.

Response:
I love this book. The pictures look really nice and compliments the rhymes. Some of my favorite rhymes are in the book. I even learned some rhymes that I had not heard of before. I would recommend this book.

[Skari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations really make this book.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't care who you are, if you enjoy beautiful artwork this is a nice book to have in your collection.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly beautiful, with small homey touches, but preserving the mystery the rhymes call forth.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book because I love the artist and wanted to look at the art work. I read through some of the nursery rhymes and enjoyed it very much.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wouldve read 1000 bad poems to find out more about the cover alone. lucky for me, this was a decent collection.

[Polly]

Beautiful illustrations.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ravishingly beautiful book. The colors, the witty characters, every page is rich with enchantment.

[Gail Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

As children quite often the first poems or songs we hear are nursery rhymes, and we remember them. They become very much a part of our lives. Whether or not we later share them with our children they have not been forgotten. British artist Jackie Morris has collected some 40 nursery rhymes, some quite familiar, others not well known, and illustrated each with richly glorious paintings.

It was a joy for this reader to discover rhymes hitherto unknown to me, such as Grey Goose, I Had A Little Nut Tree, Cock a Doodle Doo, and more. I couldn’t possibly select a favorite but my young friends delight in The Lion and the Unicorn and giggle at Jumping Joan, which reads, “Here am I, little Jumping Joan, When nobody’s with me, I’m all alone.” (The giggles are usually followed by a “Well, of course” look).

This is a good size picture book, 9 by 12 inches, and each page is filled with vibrant colors and audacious characters such as white mice peeping from every porthole, deck and sail in “I Saw A Ship a-Sailing” or the greedy, audacious weasels in “Pop! Goes the Weasel!”

The Cat and the Fiddle is a keeper, a book that will be enjoyed, treasured, and saved for the next generation.

- Gail Cooke

[Jim Erekson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this because the illustrations were so unusual for nursery rhymes--more grown up and with a darker tone. The illustrations are busy and for some reason reminded me of the Alice Provensen & Martin Provensen's illustrations for Nancy Willard's A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers. But the new age faerie drawings and watercolor style gives it a whole different tone. And she left all kinds of easter eggs in the drawings (which are complex and interesting!). I was worried it would not be engaging, but she did a very nice job with the rhyme selection and avoided depicting all the rhymes in a purely representational or narrative way--just capturing a little image a lot of the time. IT was best when she did this. Some, like "Hickory Dickory Dock" were a bit too straightforward. But she also made the fun move of illustrating more than one rhyme in a single spread without splitting the illustrations up.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh what a treat! I've always loved nursery rhymes. When I was younger I had a huge book full of newsprint quality paper that had lavish line drawings and every nursery rhyme I could imagine. I read it until it fell apart. Since then I check out collections regularly. But so many of them are run of the mill rhymes, with none of the more obscure rhymes included. And most of the artwork is either sweetly bland, painfully cute or just awkward. The baby's lap book, a title I do enjoy reading to my kids falls into the sweet category, but at least it has a decent selection.

This book though . . . this is everything I could want. Review to be continued!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the art in this book is the real rock star here. The colors are beautiful and I love the horses! I wasn't too crazy about the nursery rhymes that were chosen, most of them I had never read before and it's entirely possible that nursery rhymes may not be my thing... although I really like the selection in the nursery rhyme book that I own... but I digress... this book is worth looking at if only for the wonderful art.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning book! I was already a huge fan of Jackie Morris' work anyway, but this collection for me showcases why she is amazing. Her art work is stunning and I loved that the nursery rhymes included in this collection were different ones, most I had not heard before, not just the usual more well-known ones. This is a book I will go back to again and again. Beautiful.

[Michael Earp · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of nursery rhymes. There is a nice mix of familiar ones, and others that are rarely seen, and even one or two that I had never seen before. The arrangement of the rhymes is nice with rhymes following a theme together. The art is just beautiful!

[Ms.Gaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything by Jackie Morris is beautiful.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning illustrations! This collection of traditional nursery rhymes would be an excellent gift book for young children.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated collection of some popular and many not-so-popular nursery rhymes.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elaborately illustrated collection of nursery rhymes. Bright and detailed watercolor illustrations accompany classic Mother Goose rhymes.

[Saviour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome reworking of these classic rhymes. See my full review at http://pirottablog.com/2012/08/05/boo...

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning! Absolutely Breathtaking!!! I haven't feasted my eyes on something so beautiful in a long time! Viva Jackie!
I am now a Jackie Morris fan!

[Jen Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations make this one stick out of the sea of Nursery Rhyme offerings. Would make a great gift.

[Diana Mafikovi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.

[Susan Smith]

Encaptivating illustrations to these Nursery Rhymes

[Stephanie Dunson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has many nursery rhymes for children and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations to explore. Short, simple nursery rhymes.