posted on 03 Nov 2020

The Jackie Morris Book of Classic Nursery Rhymes

Anyone familiar with the series of sumptuous books that have been flowing from the pens and brushes of Jackie Morris over the past few years will find themselves in familiar territory if they buy this one. Morris’ illustrative trademarks are the stylised fantasy-like Medievalism of her winged horses, saddled polar bears and frock-coated or ermine-clad humans, all touched by an intangible aura of nobility. Morris also specialises in her more realistic depictions of flora and fauna and in this book these crowd into the frame too – making it quite a feast.

The author/illustrator has written a short introduction to the book and gives us a neat enough summary of what we are going to encounter:

“Here in this book are rhymes that are playful, nonsense verses, small tales told, and lullabies for quiet times.”

In fact, the book is a updating of her earlier ‘The Cat and the Fiddle’ which was originally published in 2011 and she makes it clear that she believes her return to the nursery rhyme scene is an important intervention:

“Before the age of the printing press they carried the rhythms of speech in small chants, became part of the geography of childhood. And yet they are becoming lost in the business of our modern day and digital ways.”

It would be invidious to select one or two of the rhymes as ‘favourites’ because I could have legitimately selected any combination and you’ll have your own favourites – the drawings will work with the words to weave their spell and you’ll succumb to the one that speaks most eloquently to you at that moment.

The word I’d select to describe Jackie Morris’ illustrations is generous. The colours are rich and striking and the drawings often spill extravagantly across a double page spread, bleeding off the edge of the page with no margin to contain them.

The book is also generous in size – a wonderful foolscap format that does real justice to the drawings that need, I think, to be seen on the big scale. In this respect you also have to give kudos to the publisher, Otter-Berry who have not held back on the production values. You see this real love for books in the superb front and end papers that look for all the world like something from a hand-illustrated Book of Days. Just fabulous.

Available now to buy ( or order) from your local independent bookshop and if you’re looking for a really wonderful Christmas present, this may well be the thing that will be suitable for young and old alike.

 

Terry Potter

November 2020

(Click on any image below to view them in a slideshow format)