Book Reviews
and Honors
Mother Goose in California was selected for the 2010 Elementary California Collection
California Readers has selected a body of recommended books for student readers in California. There are three California Collections (Elementary School, Middle School, and Senior High School) and 100 titles are selected for each. Selected books must be written by a California author or illustrated by a California artist. Additionally they should meet the criteria of excellent literature, provide a balanced collection from picture books to history, focus on the diversity of California population, illuminate the various California geographical areas. and raise awareness about issues important to California. I’m so proud to have my book selected! Check out my author interview.
From the Picturebook Shelf of Children’s Bookwatch, The Midwest book Review
April 2009 (Excerpt)
"Mother Goose in California" is a beautiful alphabet picture book of nursery rhymes with an authentic California flavor. " Mother Goose in California" is illustrated with colorful, imaginative paintings of famous California destinations and living representative flora and fauna native to California. Whimsical sea otters sell sea shells by the seashore by Morro Bay, while a golden-mantled ground squirrel is dressed as Bobby Shaftoe, shown as a U.S. Navy recruit near the historic Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. Hearst Castle is the setting for the California version of "Goosey, goosey, gander," while Tricolored Blackbirds are the main characters for "Four and Twenty Blackbirds." All the locations of the alphabet rhymes are shown on a map painting of California on the back cover of the book. The reimagining of some of the alphabet rhymes is fresh and inventive. All in all, "Mother Goose in California" is a lively, colorful, authentic, western update of a treasured set of nursery rhyme ideas known as "Mother Goose." All children age 4-8 and most adults will find it irresistible.
Here are three much-appreciated reader reviews from Amazon.com:
Alan Langstraat “Sixth Grade Teacher”
4/5/2009
California’s Finest. Doug Hansen has long been a featured and favorite artist of the Fresno Bee. His illustrations have a unique look that is at once professional and familiar.
This book is not only an art gallery of his enchanting work and a rich source of English-speaking culture, but an alphabet book to boot!
We loved it!
phoenix27 (California)
3/22/2009
Fantastic illustrations! Nursery rhymes in alphabetical order, A to Z. Large, collectible hardcover with glossy, distinctly illustrated dust jacket. This Mother Goose collection is highly recommended for children & for anyone who appreciates brightly colored, distinctive, appealing artwork.
Queen MAB -”Reading Specialist”
3/14/2009
A beautiful book and not just for Californians! Even if this book were simply as described -- nursery rhymes with detailed opaque water color illustrations of various aspects of California -- it would deserve 5 stars. In addition, however, it's a wonderfully designed alphabet book. As a reading specialist, I especially appreciate the inclusion of the upper and lower case letters on each page. This is a book parents and children will enjoy together no matter where they live. It deserves six stars!
Review (excerpt):
Wendy Werris
PublishersWeekly.com 3/18/2009
In addition to introducing classic Mother Goose rhymes, the picture book doubles as an abecedarian and as a guide to native California plants and animals, which appear on every page. The rhymes play out in settings that include the Golden Gate Bridge, Hearst Castle, Yosemite National Park and Joshua Tree National Park; Hansen gives readers a “guided tour” of the species and landmarks that appear in his illustrations in the book’s endnotes.
Video Interview:
April Schulte
CSUF Office of University Communications
California State University, Fresno University Journal
http://www.fresnostatenews.com/journal/
Review:
Angelica Carpenter
Curator
Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature
California State University, Fresno
A flying pig launches Doug Hansen's splendid new ABC book of Mother Goose rhymes. A is for Air: "Dickery, dickery dare/The pig flew up in the air." Hansen's pig is a pilot, flying a 1930s airplane over the Golden Gate Bridge, which is still under construction. Border pictures show a couple of California condors keeping him company in the sky.
The rhymes are traditional, some famous and others less well known. The colorful paintings portray California animals wearing historical costumes in Golden State settings, real and imagined. A prospecting bear smokes his pipe at Joshua Tree. A flirty fox tends a mission garden. Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall in old Monterey. Skunks romp on a street lined with craftsman bungalows. The North Wind blows over Yosemite Valley. A sea otter, fetchingly attired in a blue bonnet, sells seashells by the seashore at Morro Rock. The old woman who lives in a shoe is a California quail, a bird known for its large broods.
Hansen's characters charm and amuse, and his illustrations glow. Decorative borders offer extra story details that children will love to spot. An addendum and map identify animals, plants, and locations, but the Mother Goose set will enjoy this book first for its funny pictures and rhymes. Later they can grow into its natural science, history, and geography.
Here is a book to start readers California dreaming, wherever they happen to live.
