London Bridge Is Falling Down!

Mother Goose Library #1

by Peter Spier (Illustrator)

Illustrates the singing game about London Bridge's falling down. Includes a history of the bridge and music.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Peter Spier has established himself as one of the most gifted illustrators in this county. His Noah's Ark was the 1978 Caldecott Award winner, while The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night was a Caldecott Honor book in 1962. The firs two books in his widely acclaimed Mother Goose Library, London Bridge Is Falling Down! and To Market! To Market! were winner and runner-up respectively for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. The Erie Canal and Noah's Ark both won Christopher Awards, while Gobble, Growl, Grunt received Honorable Mention in the first Children's Science Book Award program, sponsored by the New York Academy of Science.

Born and educated in Amsterdam, Mr. Spier came to New York in 1952 after serving in the Royal Dutch Navy and working for a number of years as a reporter for Elsevier's Weekly, Holland's largest magazine. He has illustrated over a hundred books and has contributed a series of murals to the H. F. Du Pont Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have admired Peter Spier's artwork for years. This book is no exception. Beginning with the old nursery rhyme: "See-saw sacradown, Which is the way to London town?,,," Spier proceeds to illustrate all of the verses of "London Bridge is Falling Down" in very detailed ink and watercolor paintings. The illustrations depict London and the Thames at about the time of the American Revolution. Spier depicts the bridge falling, the engineers planning, and the various materials that were tried but failed. After the last verse (a reprise of the first), Spier includes the score for the song with all the verses listed. Following that is a short history of the London bridge from 43 B.C., to the mid 1960s (this book was published in 1967). This book deserved its Boston Globe-Horn Book award.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice pictures of old London accompany the lyrics. There are more lines included in this book than I knew existed!

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a real gem! The illustrations, the full song lyrics, the history! Mind blown. 🤯This was part of a list of award winning books we were working though, but I must own it. Peter Spier is already a family favorite.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat. I have sung the song since I can remember but I loved Peter Spier's illustrations. They really give a sense of what I think the Bridge with all of its homes and businesses would have looked like back in the day. So much fun!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea there were so many verses to the song! (I don't know about the other kids, but I was saying, "London bridges falling down, ..."

The Young Readers Press Edition is only 9" by 7" which doesn't do justice to the art.

Adults will enjoy this book at least as much as 'young readers.'

[Kaylynn Johnsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grand daughter particularly loved this song/poem book with its history and drawings.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

18 verses of this song accompanied with detailed illustrations. The back of the book includes a detailed history of the real London Bridge.

[Alex Fava · Rating 3 out of 5]

London Bridge is Falling Down is a children’s picture book by Peter Spier intended for children ages two to six. This book illustrates an English nursery rhyme that dates back to the 17th century. In addition to beautifully detailed illustrations by Spier, the music and the history of the bridge are included in the book. The basic premise of the nursery rhyme is that the London Bridge is collapsing, and various solutions to repair it are presented. I rated this a 3/5 because while the illustrations are incredibly detailed and beautiful, the story does not seem relatable and quite entertaining to children. I, as an engineering student, found the solutions for the bridge interesting knowing that most modern-day bridges are made of steel, concrete, stone, and asphalt. While it was humorous to read about repairing the bridge using silver and gold or having a dog secure the grounds, I am not sure these elements would either teach or entertain young children. However, the illustrations by Spier and incredibly detailed, and I think they would pique the interest of a young child. The illustrations look very much like sketches from a notebook, which make them even more appealing for children. They could easily spend a few minutes looking at each illustration and pointing out objects, like “dog, duck, shoe, flag, bird, boat, horse, etc.”

[Giovanna Paratore]

London Bridge Is Falling Down is a famous nursery rhyme that this book illustrates and teaches the dance that does along with the rhyme. This is a good rhyme for children to help with english language learning. This rhyme could be used during play time or as a closing activity.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the verses and great art, too!

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

girls enjoyed but not viable for music and movement due to small size of book. also, detailed pictures require it as a lap or older child book. fun, though!

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the artwork and history lesson.

[Kl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful! I loved everything about it. The London Bridge holds such a special place in my heart, so to read the whole song and the history of the bridge was lovely.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the poem very much, except I loved a couple of the pictures.

[Abrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teaches a lesson while talking about a historic event. Love it for read aloud!