Mother Goose in California

What a thorough treasure of book illustration! Within ten minutes of receiving this book in the mail I ordered another copy, and the next day I ordered two more copies.The illustrations in this book are a superb blending of various styles of book illustration and graphic arts from the the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages through the classic children's book illustrations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with wonderful touches of the Arts and Crafts Movement and early twentieth century California painting and design and even a passing reference or two to the late twentieth-century poster art of David Lance Goines. Added to that is Doug Hansen's sense of humor and whimsy: I laughed out loud half-a-dozen times when I first looked through the book, and then laughed at least that many times again while going through the book using the 'Guided Tour . . . Descriptions of the Animals, Plants, and Places in the Pictures' at the back of the book.This would be a treasured book even if I weren't a native Californian, but the fact that nearly sixty of my more than seventy years have been spent living in ten different counties in California further enhanced my enjoyment of this gem. Alas I was too young to remember an airplane ride over San Francisco bay piloted by an aeronautical engineer cousin (as depicted for the letter A), but the blackbirds and cabbage moths for the letter B brought back strong memories of my elementary school years in the Sacramento Valley. The 'chamber' for letter C is our favorite room in the Hearst Castle, where my wife and I had a very memorable tour. The letter N reminded me of camping with my parents in Yosemite when I was a child, the letter W reminded me of the delightful rows of quail that I would see scurrying about on a small college campus in Southern California, the letter O reminded of my graduate studies in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the beautiful but also very funny letter H was a reminder of the year that I spent at the Presidio of Monterey when I was in the Army.I have ordered a total of four copies of this book so far and probably will order more in the future when I figure out who to give them to.

My mom was a docent at a museum in Fresno when an exhibit of Mr. Hansen's art came through, so she bought a copy of his book and had him sign it for us. I adore this book, and it ranks as one of our special treasures. The artwork is so beautiful, and everything in each illustration is indigenous to California. The index at the back explains what is in each picture. We've loved the A-Z nursery rhymes as well. What I love most about this book is that it has grown well with our kids. There are new things for them to enjoy and discover as they grow and mature. This is a favorite book to give as a gift as well. Kudos to Mr. Hansen for such a lovely and unique book!

I ORDERED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR MY GRANDSONS. THEY WILL RECEIVE IT FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS. IT HAS NICE ILLUSTRATIONS OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. I THINK IT WILL HOLD THEIR INTEREST. THEY ARE QUITE YOUNG NOW AND WILL HAVE TO HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS READ IT TO THEM. WHEN THEY ARE OLD ENOUGH TO READ I AM SURE THEY WILL ENJOY SEEING PLACES AND LEARNING ABOUT THEIR MOTHER'S HOMETOWN. I HAD NOT SEEN THIS BOOK ANYWHERE BUT IN AMAZON. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT TO OUR ATTENTION...

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!

I got this for a friend with three children, two of whom are old enough to read or at least look at books. They and their parents were delighted with the book. I happen to know the author -- I was a work colleague for 13 years -- and am familiar with his whimsical and detailed drawings. Anyone of any age who has lived in California and or at all familiar with it will recognize much in the book.

We received this as a gift and purchased another one for a friend's child. Our two year old loves this book. The drawings are beautiful and the connections to California are fun because they are places we have been.It's been a mainstay for six months - longer than any other book has lasted for him.

Beautiful book that is wonderful for California kids to learn about the local natural resources.

This Mother Goose has cute vintage-style drawings. Every page is illustrated with California wildlife and plants, but I expected more California landmarks. I hoped the book would help my 4 yr old grandson know what to expect as he moved from another country to California. The back has a key telling you what species are used, but my boy isn't going to recognize places from these pictures. This book could be perfect for a child interested in nature and animals, especially if they live in or near California.