good john © good john © good john © good john © good john © john © good good john © john © good good good john good john © john good © © john goodM good © other john Mother Goose has become a familiar part of many of our childhoods, whether as a book of fairy tales, a collection of nursery rhymes or a traditionalgood Christmas pantomime. And yet those people who are not familiar with the books or the shows are good still confused by them, usually assuming that Mother Goose herself is the lead character in the original Tales of Mother Goose, instead of being the good © mythical storyteller. So how exactly did the Tales of Mother Goose come into beingjohn and who was Mother Goose herself? john good good ©W M ho was john © john other good goodFor those who don’t know, Mother Goose began life not as a character in a fairy tale, but as a © mythical narrator of the many tales and rhymes john that were said to be by her. In other words, countless folk tales, and later rhymes, invented by © lots of different people were for years referred to john by the phrase ‘Mother Goose stories’, because they were supposedly told by a marvellous individual known only as ‘Mother Goose’. Whether anyone really existed named Mother Goose, good who told stories, is unclear. Most people will say not, but © there are claims that the real Mother Goose has been Some of these stories were set identified. The earliest use of the phrase ‘Mother Goose’ down in print as early as 1637 in dates back to 1650 in France, when a manjohn called an Italian collection of stories Jean Loret mentioned her in a work good entitled ? called © others can be traced back to another Italian collection of 73 La Muse Historique. john folk tales which were later used by The Pentamerone; Shakespeare as a source for some of his plays! good Then, in 1697, Charles Perrault© used the phrase in a published collection of eight fairy tales entitled good © Histories and Tales of Long Ago, with Morals. The john frontispiece of this famous book showed good an old woman spinning and telling name ‘Mother Goose’ became well known outside the Goose.bearing Itstories, is the thanks words with to a Tales Perraultplacard of My onthat Motherthe the page john of France. The book was published in England in good © 1729 under the title Mother Goose’s Fairy Tales. john Charles Perrault’s book featured eight fairy stories, most of which have gone © goodon to become world-famous. They are: john Sleeping Beauty (in the Wood), Little good Red Riding Hood, Blue Beard, © Puss in Boots (or john Cat), The Fairies, Cinderella (or The Little Glass Slipper), © Perrault didn’t invent these stories john as, even in his day, theyRicky were with well- the Tuft Theand Master known tales. Instead, he chose and ensuring that they became famous and good recorded them with wit and style, © john Little Thumb. good © loved around the world. john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © © john john good © © john good © john good © john © john © So much for the Tales of Mother Goose, association with nursery rhymes? This began sometime between the 1760s and the 1780s, when butan Englishman,what about her John Newbery, now known as the ‘father of children’s books’, and his stepson John Carnan published several collections of traditional rhymes, including Sonnets for the Cradle. Mother Goose’s Melody: or ‘Mother Goose’ became Soeven popular more identifiedwere these withbooks nursery that rhymes than with fairy tales. Since then, the term Goose has become widely used for many different collections of nursery rhymes or tales. Mother W Mother? We said earlier that Mother Goose was just a made-up storyteller who never really existed, and that is what most people still believe. However, there are others who think that a real, historical Mother Goose did exist and there are several Bertrada, who was very fond contenders for the title! of children, was sometimes known as Bertha Greatfoot, or Queen Goosefoot, The most likely candidate is an probably because she had 8th century French queen named large goose-like feet, and Bertrada II of Laon who, in 740, married Pepin the was often portrayed in Short, King of the Franks, and in 742 bore his son Charles, known to French legends sitting at a us today as Charlemagne, the founder of the Holy Roman Empire. spinning wheel telling stories to children as she wove. Americans, meanwhile, believe that one Elizabeth Goose who lived in Boston, Massachusetts, during the 17th century was the original Mother Goose, although no evidence has been discovered to support this claim. According to the legend, Another possibility one of her daughters married a printer who collected all of was a different Queen her stories and published them as a book. On the front he is Bertha, this time the wife supposed to have put a picture of a goose-like creature with of Robert II of France. In a long neck and wide-open her case it was even mouth, to make fun of his rumoured that she mother-in-law! To this gave birth to a child with the head day, nursery rhymes are of a goose! known as ‘Mother Goose songs’ in America! NickHobbes © John Good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good © john good good john © good john © good john © good john © good john © john © good good john © john © good good good john good john © john good © © john good The widespread belief that geese are just big ducks is partly true, as the two good geese typesthan meetsof bird the are eye, closely making related them biologically. one of the However,most interesting there is ofa lotall birdsmore to © john S ome fascinatinggood good good © johnfacts about Geese are among the few good creatures whose group name john changes depending on whether they are flying or on the ground. A group of geese is called a good gaggle© on the ground but a skein when in the air. john and a group with a very rich history! Many varieties of geese were bred good © feathersChina. (for Overquill thepens) years, and geesetheir down have (forbeen quilts raised and for pillows). food, eggs, john Domesticated geese make good watchdogs, hissing and honking Every year, geese lose their flying feathers ... when they moult. This means they are stuck on the ground for a while. Unlike other birds, good geese lose all their flight feathers at once! They © can fly again approximately six weeks after Geese have been domesticated johnmoulting (usually by early August). During moulting, geese need to be near water to escape from their predators. © for almost 5,000 years. john in ancient India, Egypt and good loudly when strangers come around! © good john © hatch on approximatelyGeese the can same be very day. aggressive john All geesewhen eggs protecting in a single their clutch young. The baby geesegood are called goslings. © good © Geese are devoted parents G including foxes, raccoons, owls and evenand never leave their uard john Geese have many natural predators aggressive, and quick to defend themselves. goslings unguarded. snapping turtles, but they are strong, goodGeese, with their exceptional eyesight, wide field of vision and strident voices, make excellent guards john against approaching strangers or predators, since good © attackedwas by reputedly Gallicoutsiders troops. shown cannot It inwas calm390 the BC,them alertness when into Romesilence. of the was This john holy geese housed in the temple of the city’s fort © goodthat allowed the defenders to wake in time to john good © john resist the attacking enemy. © Today, in the high Andes, john Southeast Asia and many other places, whiskey warehousesgeese and replace even guard good © sensitive militaryhave been dogs.installations! used In Europe, to guard they good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © good © john john good © good © john good john good © © john good john good © © john john good © © john john good © © john good © john good © john © john © good john © good john © good john © good john © good john © john © good good john © john © good good good john good john © john good © © Long-distance john Migrating geese, with their spectacular ‘V’ formations, are one of the wonders of the natural world.