The inner city Mother Goose
(Book)

Originally published 1969.

"This new volume, the first published specifically for young adults, contains the complete text of the expanded 1982 edition, and a new introduction by poet Nikki Giovani. It is illustrated with ten dazzling full-color paintings by Caldecott Award-winning artist David Diaz."--Jacket.

Mother Goose rhymes were not always considered to be nonsensical fare for young children, originally these verses were written as social and politcal commentary. In 1969 when author Eve Merriam wanted to comment about social and political issues of the time, she turned to Mother Goose rhymes in a nod to their original purpose. Her resultant poems, inspired by traditional "nursery rhymes," depict the grim reality of inner city life, including such topics as crime, drug abuse, unemployment, and inadequate housing.

Young Adult.

Despite the use of the child-friendly moniker of Mother Goose in its title, The inner city Mother Goose, originally published in 1969, expanded and self-published in 1982, and revised and reissued in 1996, was never been meant for children-- the first and second editions of the book were directed at an adult audience, and the third edition was published specifically for young adults.

"Eve Merriam, 1916-1992, was an award-winning writer, playwright and poet for both children and adults. Merriam dedicated her life and most of her work championing the virtues of poetry and wrote extensively on how to read, write and enjoy language and poetry. As her reputation grew in the sixties and the seventies, she, like other poets of her time, 'shifted her concerns to reflect the inner emotional conflicts and stark realities of the world facing children: anxieties, alienation, racial and social injustice, war, in-humane technology, and the struggles of urban life.' (Zaidman, 1987). This concern over social issues undoubtedly motivated her to write the Inner City Mother Goose rhymes, and her choice of Mother Goose as the pattern for her satirical messages pays homage to the political derivation of the original rhymes. Merriam explains in her introduction to the 1982 edition (and reprinted in the 1996 edition), ' ... when I wanted to comment about some social and political issues of our time, I was following an old tradition of using Mother Goose characters. What modern situations would they face, and where would they live?'"--Contemporary Censorship of Mother Goose

CCBC Choices, 1996

Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies, 1997