MOTHER GOOSE GOES TO INDIA

The matriarch of European nursery rhymes heads south.

This distinctive new collection imagines what 15 classic European lullabies and sung poems for children would sound like set in India. Here, “London Bridge” becomes “Tunga Bridge,” in reference to an old bridge in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka. “My Fair Lady” is now “My Fair Mahila,” the Hindi word for woman, and so on. Mother Goose is pictured on the cover playing a shehnai (Indian oboe). Although some of the updated verses feel a bit flat, the rhymes are fun to chant and introduce young children to basic Hindi, since each verse includes at least one word in the language. Readers will learn how to count from one to 10 in Hindi in “Ek, Do, Time To Go,” the Indian rendition of “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe.” Pink’s memorable and colorful digital illustrations pay homage to Indian folk art and time-honored motifs—buildings with Mogul-style architecture are depicted, and characters wear traditional Indian clothing. The artwork also captures the sights and sounds of modern India, showing the country’s emblematic decorated trucks driving along modern-day highways. Glossaries conveniently placed at the bottom of each page provide definitions and pronunciations for the Hindi words included in each poem.

A welcome addition that both subverts and pays tribute to Eurocentric nursery-rhyme tropes.