Catholic Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

By Author Leane Vanderputten

Leane VanderPutten gave me her lovely book Catholic Mother Goose nursery rhymes.

She was able to take the silly poems in the old Mother Goose to write her own poems with thoughts about Catholic saints, the Ten Commandments, and daily life at home and in church. 

She did a really good job of re-creating the poems from a Catholic perspective. This page is a Look Inside The Book glimpse of her talent and the lovely illustrations.

Let us know what you think about it by leaving your comments at the bottom of this article.

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A Catholic Version Of Mother Goose

Written By Leane VanderPutten, Author

Nursery rhymes are fun, yet did you ever feel as if you wanted to correct the old Mother Goose rhymes?

I did.

I often felt that they were nonsensical and that I should have our children learn rhymes from a book that was more useful in their lives or that would help them remember the catechism.

Leane has "written that book". It's fun and also edifies children.

I also remember hearing someone say that the old rhymes were based on political themes. That's a scary thought. What are they promoting to preschool or kindergarten children?

As a matter of fact, for me, I found very little time for nursery rhymes. I had read a Mother Goose book a time or two and did not like it myself so I did not read it often to the children.

I've read the old Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes to little children and saw that the main thing they did was search the pictures, sometimes not so nice pictures. They often looked at me strangely wanting to know if the stories made sense or if that was truly the end of the story.

Mother Goose Style Poetry

But this book! If we would have had Leane's Catholic Mother Goose book (buy at Amazon), things would have been different. She has lovely rhymes with lovely pictures that are great for kids to read again and again.

I would start early with my preschool children by simply sharing the Mother Goose stories as we cuddle on the couch for read aloud time especially if you're homeschooling. I've already shown Leane's book to several children who loved the pictures right away.

The pictures are the type I would have loved to have been able to color when I was a child. Becky Melechinsky, illustrator, drew many drawings that could be colored like a coloring book and Leane's photos are darling black and white pictures of children that could also be colorized with colored pencils which makes it a sweet Catholic coloring book.

This would make a wonderful project for older children who could keep their own copy like a Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes coloring book to keep through the years.

You could give this to your children as keepsakes because Leane's Catholic Mother Goose is also a great second and third grade reading book.

This is also a great idea to tell grandparents who want to get their children birthday and Christmas gifts.

Catholic Poetry

Leane's Catholic Mother Goose nursery rhymes are lovely and instructive:

• Many of her little poems have a lovely "pitch, volume and voice inflection" so that children can "practice the rhythm of language".
• Quite a few of these rhymes would be great for memory work in a classical curriculum.
• Most of them teach a specifically Catholic theme: the saints, the sacraments, the Ten Commandments. Some of the stories would be great in catechism class.
• Because they rhyme so nicely and have a nice rhythm, the short poems are easy to memorize. 
• These poems help the children reflect on the truths of the Catholic faith with funny and familiar sayings.
• Nearly every poem has a beautiful photo from Leane's own family or a lovely pencil drawing by Becky Melechinsky or Virginia Shibler. I think these would be great Mother Goose coloring pages.
• The book itself is so nice that, if it were a hard bound book, you could put it on the coffee table.

You can buy Leane's  Catholic Mother Goose book at Amazon.

Tour Of Catholic Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

Let's take a tour of Leane's Catholic Mother Goose nursery rhymes to show you how nice the rhymes are.

1. Little Poems About Catholic Saints

My favorite pages in Catholic Mother Goose were the poems of

1. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum asking Saint Anthony to help one find his shoe on page 52; 
2. The September poem on page 80 "Thirty Days Hath September" that names Saint Pius X, Mary's Holy Name, her Seven Sorrows, Saint Joseph Cupertino,and the incomparable Saint Michael the Archangel; 
3. and this Saint Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower poem:

2. Old Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes Meet Catholic Mother Goose

Leane rewrote Jack Be Nimble with a Catholic twist on page 4. Your altar boys will be amused by this treasure. We were. Isn't this sweet?!

3. Catholic Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes List

Leane's Catholic Mother Goose nursery rhymes book has a list of titles that are especially sweet. So if you're looking for a particular story or want to teach a certain saint or virtue, you can scan the Table of Contents.

Here is my favorite list:

4. Becky Melichinsky, Illustrator

Deedle Deedle Dumpling my son, Todd, Plopped into bed without talking to God. 

Tick-Tock goes Grandfather Clock; Majestic and Grand by the wall. Tick-Tock, it seems it can talk; Winking at me in the hall.

All in all, I think Leane VanderPutten has created a book that you'll love right now and that your children will love for generations for the very reason Leane gives in her Foreword:

• "It gives us some lovely rhymes that can, and should, be committed to heart by your children. Not only will it provide all the benefits of reading and memorizing, but it will supply some simple reflections that will turn those little minds to what is most important in their lives….their Catholic Faith."

Here's another note from Leane:

• "This is not your regular Nursery Rhyme book! These poems are sprinkled with sentiments about our beautiful Catholic Faith. They are enjoyable and lighthearted yet are dotted with thoughts about the feasts of the Church, holy water, scapulars, the saints and much more! This book not only offers all the benefits of reading and memorizing Nursery Rhymes, but it will plant seeds that will turn those little minds to what is most important in life….their Catholic Faith."

Leane, Becky Melechinsky, and Virginia Shibler have a right to be proud of their illustrated Catholic Mother Goose stories that you can buy at Amazon. 

Cheerful Chats For Catholic Children

Leane has also written another lovely book called Cheerful Chats For Catholic Children (Amazon link) that is nice for older children. Not only does Leane tell sweet stories that teach a moral, she includes a short review, a nice prayer and a simple poem that would be easy to memorize.

Note: I would check each story ahead of time to see if it suits your children's dispositions and levels of experience. You would not want to suggest what might tempt your children.

Leane VanderPutten's Books

• Catholic Mother Goose at Amazon.
• Cheerful Chats for Catholic Children at Amazon.

Catholic Mother Goose was written by Leane VanderPutten and illustrated by Becky Melechinsky and Virginia Shibler.

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