The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes

by Iona Opie (Gathered by), Peter Opie (Gathered by), Pauline Baynes (Illustrator )

This collection of nursery rhymes are a gathering from the memories of grandmothers and the byways of folk literature. As well as containing the familiar jingles, it introduces a number of traditional rhymes which have previously been known only locally or in individual families.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Nursery Rhymes

220 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1963

About the author

Iona Margaret Balfour Archibald was born in Colchester, Essex, England. She was a researcher and writer on folklore and children's street culture. She is considered an authority on children's rhymes, street and playground games and the Mother Goose tradition. She was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 1998 and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1999.

The couple met during World War II and married on 2 September 1943. The couple worked together closely, from their home near Farnham, Surrey, conducting primary fieldwork, library research, and interviews of thousands of children. In pursuing the folklore of contemporary childhood they directly recorded rhymes and games in real time as they were being sung, chanted, or played. Working from their home in Alton, Hampshire they collaborated on several celebrated books and produced over 30 works. The couple were jointly awarded the Coote Lake Medal in 1960. The medal is awarded by The Folklore Society "for outstanding research and scholarship".

Speaking in 2010, Iona speaks of working with her husband as being "like two of us in a very small boat and each had an oar and we were trying to row across the Atlantic." and that "[W]e would never discuss ideas verbally except very late at night."

Iona Opie died in 2017.

Reviews

[B Schrodinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every new child needs nursery rhymes in their life. Nursery rhymes are widely acknowledged to benefit child development in many ways, the obvious ones such as language and literacy development, but let's not forget numeracy, with all those counting rhymes. Simple rhyming structures lend themselves to memorisation, improving on cognitive skills.

It's a shame they seem to have gone out of fashion. Yes, they are old, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are not needed now. And yes, some do express some outdated values - especially some sexism. But I'm happy to censor if I see fit. But it is great to find a nursery rhyme book that hasn't been sanitised or rewritten for a "new audience".

All my old favourites are here, and all my wife's old favourites are here too. And there is a heap of rhymes that I have never even heard of before. Who knows what will be our child's favourites to hear and our favourites to read. The nursery rhyme book that I grew up with is still in my library, it was the first volume of the Childcraft library. The rhymes and illustrations still live in my mind and opening it up now is like visiting an old friend. But I did want something new for my child, something that is theirs.

The illustrations are old-school and beautiful, stylistically kind of 1960's in look. The illustrator is Raymond Briggs, author and illustrator of 'The Snowman' which I know is famous, but I have yet to read it. It is a beautiful hardcover that will hopefully see out lots of late night readings, clumsy page-turning by sticky fingers, laughs and silliness and eventual nostalgia.

After we purchased it my wife and I sat around for an hour reading new and old rhymes to each other. It was wonderful. And the baby wiggled a lot inside. I'll come back to this review in a few years and give you an update.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes is a classic work of the genre, by two experts in the field of folklore, children’s games and traditional rhymes. They are Iona and Peter Opie. It is illustrated with line drawings by Pauline Baynes, who first came to my attention with her excellent illustrations to the Narnia stories, when they were first published by Puffin books in the 1960s.

There is now another collection of “The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes” collected by Raymond Briggs, but this version is still in print, and now called, The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes: The Opie Book of Nursery Rhymes. As a treasury of memorable traditional verses, for a general reader, I believe it cannot be bettered. It contains the favorite nursery rhymes which you would expect, found in folk literature. However Iona Opie and Peter Opie are two of the foremost authorities on children’s lore, and they have also gathered together less familiar rhymes, which have been passed down in regional or family traditions.

The book is annotated and indexed, both by subject and by first lines. It is both a useful resource for adults, which can also be enjoyed by children themselves.

[Klara Gonciarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

an utterly adorable book filled with childhood nostalgia. it is also fascinating to imagine old nurses repeat those verses to the little ones.

[My Little Forest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully crafted and assembled.

[Valleri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supposed to be "Mysteries of Mushy Mushy" a fable about how a mushroom helps save his local wildlife, ecosystem, and essentially the future of the planet by working with others to stop a wildfire.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Regular collection, footnotes in back.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bought at a fete in September '84" :D Absolutely falling to pieces!