If you grew up in a house with a bookshelf anytime between the 1940s and today, you probably remember a weirdly shaped book. It wasn't square. It wasn't a standard rectangle. It was skinny, impossibly tall, and felt like it belonged in a giant’s pocket. That was The Tall Book of Mother Goose. Published originally in 1942 by Harper & Brothers (now HarperCollins), this book didn't just contain rhymes; it defined the visual language of childhood for several generations.
Feodor Rojankovsky, the illustrator, won a Caldecott Medal later in his career, but his work here is what stuck. Honestly, most kids’ books back then were either too precious or too stiff. This one was different. It felt alive. The textures of the fur on the three blind mice or the ragged clothes of the beggars coming to town had a grit to them that modern, sanitized digital illustrations just can’t replicate.
The Weird Geometry of a Childhood Classic
Why 12 inches high and only 5 inches wide? It seems like a gimmick. Most people think it was just a marketing ploy to stand out on a crowded shelf at the local bookstore. While that’s partly true, the "tall" format was actually a brilliant ergonomic choice for small hands.
A toddler can wrap their arms around The Tall Book of Mother Goose in a way they can't with a massive coffee-table-style anthology. It fits the verticality of the characters too. Think about it. Jack and Jill falling down a hill. The cow jumping over the moon. The vertical orientation allows the art to breathe in a way that square books don't. You get this sense of depth and height that makes the rhymes feel like they have actual stakes.
The physical dimensions were roughly 12.25" x 5.25". It was part of a series that included The Tall Book of Fairy Tales and The Tall Book of Nursery Tales, but the Mother Goose volume is the one that people hunt for at estate sales. It’s the one that smells like old paper and nostalgia.
Feodor Rojankovsky and the Art of Realism
Rojankovsky wasn't interested in drawing "cute" things. He was a Russian émigré who brought a European sensibility to American children’s literature. His animals look like animals. His people look like they’ve actually lived a day or two.
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When you look at his rendition of Little Miss Muffet, she isn't some cartoon character. She looks genuinely startled. The spider is detailed. There’s a tactile quality to the grass and the wooden bowl. This realism is why the book remains a staple. Kids aren't dumb; they know when they're being patronized by over-simplified art. Rojankovsky gave them credit for being able to handle a little bit of shadow and a lot of detail.
What People Get Wrong About Mother Goose Rhymes
Most parents today pick up The Tall Book of Mother Goose and are shocked by how dark the rhymes are. We’ve spent the last thirty years "Disney-fying" folklore. But the original Mother Goose wasn't meant to be sweet. It was a reflection of 17th and 18th-century life.
Take London Bridge is Falling Down. People argue about its origins—some say it's about a Viking attack in 1014, others suggest darker rituals—but the book presents it simply, with art that captures the crumbling majesty of the structure. Or Goosey Goosey Gander, which includes the line "I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs."
That’s pretty metal for a bedtime story.
But that’s exactly why it works. These rhymes were ways for children to process the chaos of the world. The tall format highlights this chaos. When the "Beggars are coming to town," they take up the whole vertical span of the page, looking looming and slightly mysterious. It’s atmospheric. It’s storytelling that doesn't hold your hand.
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Why the 1942 Edition is the Holy Grail
If you’re a collector, you know the struggle. There have been dozens of reprints. The 1942 first edition is the one everyone wants. You can tell the early ones by the quality of the lithography. The colors in the original printings are deeper, richer, and have a matte finish that the glossy modern reprints lack.
Later editions sometimes shifted the colors or cropped the images to fit different printing standards. If you find a copy with the original dust jacket, you’ve hit the jackpot. Most kids (being kids) tore those jackets off immediately. Finding a "Tall Book" in "Fine" condition is like finding a needle in a haystack because these books were loved to death. They were dragged across carpets, chewed on by puppies, and stained with apple juice.
The Lasting Influence on Modern Illustration
You can see the DNA of The Tall Book of Mother Goose in current illustrators like Jon Klassen or Mary Blair. It taught the industry that the shape of the book is part of the story. It proved that you don't need a standard layout to be successful.
In fact, the success of this book led to a whole wave of "shaped" books in the mid-century. But none of them quite captured the elegance of the tall format. It wasn't just a tall book; it was a window.
Practical Tips for Finding a Quality Copy
Don't just buy the first one you see on a massive resale site.
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- Check the Spine: Because the book is so narrow and tall, the spines are notoriously weak. Look for copies where the binding isn't cracked or pulling away from the text block.
- The "Smell" Test: If you're buying at an antique mall, avoid books with a heavy "musty" smell. That’s mold, and it will ruin the rest of your library.
- Look for the Harper & Row vs. Harper & Brothers imprint: "Brothers" usually indicates an earlier printing than "Row."
- Check the Endpapers: The original endpapers featured beautiful, simple patterns that are often replaced in cheaper modern "heritage" editions.
The Cultural Weight of Nursery Rhymes
We live in a digital age, but Mother Goose isn't going anywhere. There is something rhythmic and primal about these rhymes. They are the first poems most children ever hear. They teach phonics, cadence, and rhyme schemes before a child even knows what a "word" is.
The Tall Book of Mother Goose facilitates this learning better than a screen ever could. The physical act of turning those long, narrow pages creates a pacing. It forces the reader to slow down. You can't rush through the illustrations because there is so much to see from the top of the page to the bottom.
It’s about the tactile experience. Feeling the weight of the book. Seeing the way the light hits the paper. You're not just reading; you're participating in a tradition that's hundreds of years old, filtered through the lens of 1940s American artistry.
Actionable Steps for Collectors and Parents
If you want to introduce this classic to your home or start a collection, start by visiting local independent used bookstores rather than the big chains. These shops often have a "vintage children's" section where you can physically inspect the condition of the spine and the vibrancy of Rojankovsky's colors.
For parents, don't be afraid of the "darker" rhymes. Use them as conversation starters. Explain the history. Show the art. If you can find a 1950s or 60s printing, you'll get the best balance of price and vintage quality. These books were meant to be handled, so don't be too precious with them. Let the kids experience the height, the weight, and the slightly weird, wonderfully tall world of Mother Goose exactly as it was intended eighty years ago.
Search for editions that specifically credit Feodor Rojankovsky on the cover, as there are modern "knock-offs" that use the tall format but substitute inferior, generic clip-art for the master’s original lithographs. The soul of the book is in the fur, the feathers, and the expressive faces of the characters—don't settle for anything less than the original vision.