We’ve been publishing books since 1919, which means we have one heck of an archive. Every Friday we highlight one of our more unusual, beautiful, or hilarious titles unearthed from the storage bins.
In 1940 we published Mother Goose Safety Rhymes, a slim hardcover with illustrations by Marjorie Peters and modified nursery rhymes by C.M. Bartrug, who in the preface wrote: “It is the purpose of this book to teach little children correct Safety Habits through the Mother Goose Rhymes and Characters.”
On further inspection it’s clear that it is also the purpose of this book to scare the hickory-dickory-hell out of children, as quite a few of the hapless protagonists of these verses meet fates rivaling those of the Gashleycrumb Tinies. Oh, dear.
YIKES!
It seems we’re not the only ones to rediscover this grim little volume: a few years ago someone put every rhyme online so that new generations could be freaked out instilled with Safety Habits. We’ll just put up a few of our favorites here:
NOW HE'S GONE
WE ARE NOT KIDDING ABOUT THE MATCHES
DON'T SAY WE DIDN'T WARN YOU
Have a good weekend, everyone! STAY SAFE OR ELSE.
Too funny! Thanks for sharing!
Things have really changed in kid’s publishing. Thanks for the good laugh. For sure, I’m gonna stay safe.