Pop Corn and Ma Goodness

by Edna Mitchell Preston, Robert Andrew Parker (Illustrator)

A verse tale of how Pop Corn and Ma Goodness met, married, built a house, and had a family.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, I really did not like this book. It’s basically a song with many many many repeating sound words over and over like hippitty hoppetty. This is a beginning story about a mom and dad starting a family. That is about it. It is so simple.

I don’t like the watercolors in the least. I don't like them. This book was not for me.

The children weren’t crazy about it either. The nephew did think the rhythm was funny and he liked saying it back. I guess the rhythm does build up. He isn’t into farmers so the subject didn't interest him. He gave this 2 stars. The niece agreed with me and she didn’t like this book either. She gave this 1 star. This is not too popular in our family.

Seeing a book like this, it does make me wonder why they couldn’t nominate a popular book of the day, something by P.D. Eastman that people like. This is a mystery to me.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pop Corn and Ma Goodness are going about their way when a rainy day and a slippery path cause them to take a tumble - right into one another. The rest, as they say, is history. The smitten couple marry, build a house, start a farm, defeat a bear, get a hound dog, and have children. The seasons pass and their family flourishes...

This brief précis does little to capture the charm of Pop Corn and Ma Goodness, which netted illustrator Robert Andrew Parker a Caldecott Honor in 1970. Edna Mitchell Preston's text is more of a song than a story, with plenty of sounds words - it begins: "Ma Goodness she's coming a-skippitty skoppetty / skippitty skoppetty / skippitty skoppetty" - and a kind of down home feeling that I found very charming. Many reviewers appear to have been put off by it, but I think it would make a good read-aloud, if sung in the right way. The watercolor illustrations from Parker are rather dark, but also lovely. I have encountered his work before, in such titles as The Green Isle and The Woman Who Fell from the Sky: The Iroquois Story of Creation , and although I wouldn't describe it as a personal favorite, it is always engrossing. Here it worked very well with the text, I thought. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoys somewhat offbeat sing-song stories, as well as to fans of Robert Andrew Parker.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd book. I'm not sure what it is about it is about 1940s and 1960s books, but they had some weird topics for picture books during those decades. This one is no exception. It won a 1970 Caldecott Honor award, but was published in 1969. The story has a rhyming text and is about a man and a woman who get together and have a farm, a pet goat and later some children. I will give a warning to parents as this book does mention whipping children and killing bears. I was reading out loud to my two-year old on Sunday and my husband was convinced that whoever wrote the book must've been on drugs. Recommended for ages 4-7, 2 stars.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended on a website that goes along with The Little House books The Martha Years (Laura's great grandma) Her story takes place in the late 1700's early 1800's. This book I could imagine probably started out as a song that YEARS ago they would sing to their youth. When you read it out loud it's almost a sing song type even if you don't try and sing it :) This was a cute little book. Although my 2 year old granddaughter did sit through the story but she LOVES being read to also. I don't know if really small listeners would really stay with the story. I could see this being read to a 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade classroom. It would help teach them the way people lived, talked, and how life was. It starts out with a single couple, they marry, have a farm, a family etc. A fun way of teaching children old time ways.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first heard the title of this book, I wondered whether it was going to be a bit corny (sorry), but it turned out to be absolutely delightful. The pen & ink with muted watercolor illustrations are full of energy and imagination. The storyline follows the meeting of the couple, their wedding, building a house and farm, raising animals and a children, and their everyday life. The verse that tells the story is hilarious - DO NOT read this book silently as it has to be read out loud, even if to yourself but hopefully to a child - because so much of the rhyme is nonsense, but you still get the sense of it. All the rhyming words end with "pitty" or "petty" as in "chippitty choppetty" and "dippitty doppetty."

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a treat, and I wish it were more widely available. I love the clever wordplay of the text. I think the idea of the parents meeting by collision is such a great, practical metaphor for falling in love, and I enjoyed the fun phrases like "whuppity whoppety" and "prippity propetty." What a shame that I didn't get to read the book aloud - those would have been so much fun to say out loud! The illustrations evoke all the warmth and busyness of summer on the farm, and they perfectly matched the overall mood of the book.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars -- A very "of its time" story about a natural-looking couple who "get back to the land."

Veg*n families note: A word about "whippity whopping" childern. Also, the family kills a bear who kills their pet goat. The bear's skin is shown mounted in one illustration.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

1970 Caldecott Honor

The only thing I liked about this book was the title....

(Oh, and the fact the book is so tattered, someone took the liberty of filling in the torn drawings with their own. Hmmm.)

[Mckinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun rhyming story of how they got together and what happened afterwards.

[Laura5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"They get them some kids for to whuppitty whoppetty" Hmmm...

[Laura Hoyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish my parents had read this to me as a child! I loved the word usage- very catchy and fun!



Poor Goat!

[Maria Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

• 1970 Caldecott Honor Book •

This book is… very odd! I think it would be far better as a read aloud book - the verse sounds like a song. I got this book from the library and they only had one copy - and this is the first book I’ve ever encountered that has a note inside saying “Out of Print - Please Handle with Care.” I have to say I’ve read more than 75% of the Caldecott Winners / Honor books and I’m surprised that this is the first I’ve had trouble getting ahold of - there are far worse Caldecotts out there! I think this book is worth a try - it’s kind of fun.

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted

[ElleryS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetry
K-2nd grade reading level
The illustrations in this book were nice, quite pretty, but they would likely not be the reason children would love this book. The premise of this book is built on rhyme, humor, and repetition. Not all of it landed for me, but I think children would love hearing this read to them, or maybe even reading it aloud themselves and trying not to get tripped up in the wording. I didn't think it was particularly amazing, but I do think children would enjoy it a lot.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story in verse about Pop Corn & Ma Goodness and how they meet, get married and raise a family. This book is okay but kind of forgettable. The story is sort of fun if read aloud but I'm not a fan of the watercolor illustrations. They are kind of boring and I don't think they are Caldecott Honor worthy.

[Kyla P · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child this was one of my favourite books to have read to me. My parents were forced to read it ad nauseam to my sister and me. As an adult, it is now a nostalgic read that my own children have come to love. Repetitive sounds and story lines are such an important part of children’s literary growth and this story takes such a unique take on that. It’s a standout in its own rights!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on loan from the Internet Archive.

The story is cute; I like the rhythm and pattern words, but it might get a little old by the time the book was over. The illustrations did a great job of expanding upon the text and adding meaning.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of the human experience all told in a whimsical wordy way. When two people meet during a head bumping tumble doon the hill, the circle of life happens as the story proceeds.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very very odd.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caldecott Honor book - 1970

Art medium used - watercolor

Nonsense story told in verse with repeating text for reading aloud

[MaryAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this tongue twister story and watercolor illustrations.

[SamZ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1970 Caldecott Honor. Favorite Illustration: When Pa and Ma have fallen in the puddle and they see each other for the first time and fall in love.
At first this story was a little odd and annoying, but then it just got creepy and horrifying! I mean seriously! "they get them some kids for to whuppitty whoppetty" ?!? This was a 2.5 until then. And the next page talks about how they're brats who run around beating each other and tormenting the dog!
Not a fan.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but when it started talking about them having children so they could beat them and then the kids turning out to be brats, I didn't really like that.