Mother Goose of Pudding Lane

Chris Raschka and Vladimir Radunsky offer a whimsical, rhyming narrative that introduces children to one popular legend about the origins of Mother Goose. The story centers on Elizabeth Foster, a woman in 1692 Boston who married a widower with ten children and then had four more. To manage her large, boisterous family, she sang lullabies and made up rhymes, which were supposedly published by her son-in-law on Pudding Lane. The book beautifully weaves this biographical tale with some of Mother Goose's most beloved rhymes, accompanied by bright, humorous illustrations. It's a gentle, imaginative exploration of a cultural icon, perfect for sparking curiosity about the history behind familiar verses.

Celebrated picture book creators Chris Raschka and Vladimir Radunsky offer one possible answer to the age-old question: Who was Mother Goose? We all love to hear Mother Goose rhymes and riddles. But did you know that there was a real Mother Goose who lived in Boston more than three hundred years ago? In 1692, Elizabeth Foster married a widower with ten children. His name was Isaac Goose, and after they married, Elizabeth became Mother Goose. She and Isaac had four more children together, and to help her care for such a big and boisterous family, Mother Goose sang songs and lullabies and made up rhymes and poems. Her nursery rhymes and stories were published at a print shop on Pudding Lane in Boston, though no copies of her book exist today. In a book featuring some of Mother Goose’s best-loved works, Vladimir Radunsky’s bright and humorous illustrations and Chris Raschka’s rhyming poems tell the little-known story of the Goose children, Isaac, and Elizabeth herself — the Mother Goose of Pudding Lane.