The Children of Mother Goose
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” Pat Thompson
Children love charactersParents love to read Mother Goose to their children, but often find that most versions of the book are outdated, confusing, and make no sense. Finally, The Children of Mother Goose illustrates the most iconic rhymes with all-new character-driven art, updated and relatable for children of today.
Remember when there were no screens, streaming programs, or phone time? What a confusing time. With all the gadgets and technology of today, how do we keep them from getting lost?
We search for programs or content that we trust to give them the input and values that we want for them.
Children have always been full of curiosity and imagination, but is something missing now? Every scenario is fed to them? At times, it feels like they are in a hypnotic state.
Cover “The Velveteen Rabbit” Pat Thompson
When my first child was born, I was very excited to receive a copy of Mother Goose, the start of their library. It became a favorite book of my sons, by wading through the maze of rhymes to find ones that they could relate to.
In quieter moments, while listening to children at play, you will still hear: Little Bo Peep, Rain, Rain Go Away, Tinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
These iconic rhythms have been passed from generation to generation for over 400 years. There must be something there?
I decided to follow my instincts and create a body of illustrations to capture the children of Mother Goose. I had worked as an illustrator for children’s art for 15 years and as a portrait artist of children for most of my adult life.
As an illustrator, I noticed that the children always loved characters, and they still do.
“Snow White” Pat Thompson
So I chose the most iconic rhymes that feature children in a timeless and relatable update. The quiet settings give a sense of simpler times where little ones can picture themself stepping into these pictures with their imaginations.
One day, I showed these illustrations to an adult man in his late sixties. He paused at the boy in Rain, Rain Go Away. “That could have been me,” he said. Then turned the page to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, with the boy in a tree looking up at the stars. He quietly said with some emotion, “That was me.”
It turns out, we are all the children of Mother Goose. If we listen to the echoes of our own childhood, we can find our way back to that time of innocence and wonder.
“Little Bo Peep” Pat Thompson