From the publisher
This anonymously authored and illustrated nursery rhyme book, originally published in 1820, is a delightful little tale for young readers. As a companion to the familiar "Old Mother Hubbard," which had a sad ending, this cheerful story has a happy ending, making it a perfect book for a child's bedtime story. The original illustrations have been digitally scanned and enhanced, to present a colorful accompaniment to the words. Children and adults of all ages will love the antics of Dame Trot's Comical Cat! Preserving and republishing this, and similar, nursery rhyme collections helps to preserve the literary and cultural heritage of the English-speaking world, which should never be allowed to sink into obscurity. The history and culture of England are the history and culture of many throughout the world, and should always be cherished. Parents, grandparents, older siblings, and care-givers can do few things better than to encourage young children to read, and to give them words of quality to read; Mother Goose's timeless nursery rhymes will feed the imaginations of the children who hear and read them. Nursery rhymes that were acceptable for children of the 19th Century might prove confusing or unsettling for children of the 21st Century, so far removed in tiome from the manners and issues of that time; parents are encouraged to read these rhymes with their children. Debbie Barry, editor of this reproduced volume, is legally blind. Reminding children and parents that blindness does not keep a person from being an active, creative, productive person, nor do other physical, mental, or developmental handicaps, as long as they decide to do everything they can do, instead of letting things they cannot do limit them. Debbie encourages every child and parent to enjoy the freedom of what they CAN do, and to delight in the wonders of life.
About the author
Debbie Barry lives with her husband in southeastern Michigan with their two cats, Mister and Goblin. They enjoy exploring history through French and Indian War re-enactment and through medieval re-enactment in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Debbie grew up in southwestern Vermont, where she heard and collected many family stories that she enjoys retelling as historical fiction for young audiences, and as family and local history for genealogists, as well as memory stories of her own life. Debbie graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in dual majors of social sciences with an education concentration and of English in 2013. She is on hiatus from pursuing her master's degree in linguistics, specializing in teaching English as a second language (TESOL), at Oakland University, in Rochester, Michigan, as a result of going blind and battling long-term illness. Debbie went blind suddenly, without obvious cause, on December 15, 2014, at the age of 45. Her family, friends, and doctors expected her to give in to the darkness and become bitter and angry. Instead, Debbie chose to adopt a positive attitude, even when she felt anything but positive, and to find as much light as possible in her life. She wrote an autobiographical account of her first full year of living in the twilight semi-vision of blindness to share her experience with others; it was also therapy to help her face the darkness. Before going blind, Debbie was an avid, even voracious, reader. She enjoyed drawing in many traditional media and painting in acrylic, gouache, and watercolor. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, needlepoint, embroidery, beadwork, spinning, and weaving. Since going blind, Debbie has turned to audio books from Audible.com, BARD Talking Books Library, and on CDs. She has relearned knitting, and has begun sewing by touch. She has returned to drawing and painting within the limitations of her vision. She has found that being blind does not have to mean being truly disabled. Debbie is an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). She is a past member of the LEO Club, the Lions Club, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the Girl Scouts, the Explorer Scouts, and the Order of the Eastern Star (OES), as well as various academic and social groups in high school, college, and graduate school. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa, and the Golden Key Honor Society. She likes to be active.
