A special addition to nursery rhyme collections, this beautifully illustrated volume includes the interesting facts behind well-known verses WITH WHIMSICAL, FULL-COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS and a little historical detective work, Michael and Wayne Montgomery have created a delightful and original nursery rhyme book that will entertain as well as educate readers, young and old alike. This volume brings together more than twenty classic nursery rhymes, riddles, and tongue twisters and offers a fascinating glimpse into their age, origin, and meaning of each. Youngsters will enjoy such perennial favorites as Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, Old King Cole, London Bridge, Rain, Rain, Go Away, and others. Younger children will delight in the rhymes and beautiful illustrations while older children and adults will be fascinated by the historical details. Did you know? In the late seventeenth century, Humpty Dumpty was the name for a popular ale and brandy drink. Some scholars believe a Pilgrim youth wrote "Hush A Bye Baby" after watching a native American mother hang her infant's birch bark cradle on a tree branch. Candlestick jumping, as recounted in "Jack Be Nimble," was once viewed as a challenging sport and a means of foretelling the future.