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Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes
This hand-picked collection of classic nursery rhymes, all delicately and painstakingly illustrated by Salley Mavor, who is reknown for her incredibly detailed fabric and cloth scenes. It took Mavor ten years to develop her own fabric relief technique to a level where she felt comfortable even considering illustrating a book. Now, Mavor embroiders and sews illustrations, each scene taking nearly a month to complete. In this book, Mavor renders a new and visionary nursery rhyme world with precision and intricacy for many a generation to treasure for years and years to come.
72 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
40 people are currently reading
383 people want to read
About the author
Salley Mavor
17 books20 followersI have always liked forming and manipulating small materials with my hands. Paper and pencil were never enough for me. Somehow, in my experience as a child, my own art was unfinished and plain unless something “real” was added. Treasures would be glued, stapled or sewn onto a creation to make it complete.
Years later, while at the Rhode Island School of Design, I rediscovered my childhood delight in sewing and creating miniature scenes. In the illustration department there was freedom to create in any medium as long the work was narrative in nature and solved the class assignments. Working in 3 dimensions was an exciting way to communicate my ideas. I never thought that the assemblages and experiments I presented for critique would ever turn into a workable illustration technique.
After graduation in 1978, I made and sold stuffed fabric pins, designed sewing projects for women's magazines, and worked on a series of housewife dolls and their stuffed domestic appliances. Soon, I began creating pictures in a relief format with people, animals and houses sewn on to a fabric background.
It took 10 years to develop my fabric relief technique to a level where I could consider illustrating a book. My first picture book, The Way Home, was made during a 1-½ year period when my children were very young. After my boys were asleep in the evening, I would sew the elephant characters and methodically embroider blades of grass.
To make a book, each picture starts as a clear, vivid scene in my head. I do not know exactly how the pictures will unfold and it will go through many steps to get from the imagined to the finished product. I start by working out a rough layout in small thumbnail sketches. They are blown up on a copier to full book size and made into a dummy to show the editor. She then checks to see that the content of the layout works with the text and that there is enough room for the type. After making any necessary changes to the layout, and with the trust of my editor, I start work on the fabric relief pictures.
Each illustration requires about a month of hand sewing, so it takes more than a year to complete all of the pages. The original fabric relief pictures are then photographed and used as illustrations in the printed book.
from http://www.weefolkstudio.com/about.htm
Years later, while at the Rhode Island School of Design, I rediscovered my childhood delight in sewing and creating miniature scenes. In the illustration department there was freedom to create in any medium as long the work was narrative in nature and solved the class assignments. Working in 3 dimensions was an exciting way to communicate my ideas. I never thought that the assemblages and experiments I presented for critique would ever turn into a workable illustration technique.
After graduation in 1978, I made and sold stuffed fabric pins, designed sewing projects for women's magazines, and worked on a series of housewife dolls and their stuffed domestic appliances. Soon, I began creating pictures in a relief format with people, animals and houses sewn on to a fabric background.
It took 10 years to develop my fabric relief technique to a level where I could consider illustrating a book. My first picture book, The Way Home, was made during a 1-½ year period when my children were very young. After my boys were asleep in the evening, I would sew the elephant characters and methodically embroider blades of grass.
To make a book, each picture starts as a clear, vivid scene in my head. I do not know exactly how the pictures will unfold and it will go through many steps to get from the imagined to the finished product. I start by working out a rough layout in small thumbnail sketches. They are blown up on a copier to full book size and made into a dummy to show the editor. She then checks to see that the content of the layout works with the text and that there is enough room for the type. After making any necessary changes to the layout, and with the trust of my editor, I start work on the fabric relief pictures.
Each illustration requires about a month of hand sewing, so it takes more than a year to complete all of the pages. The original fabric relief pictures are then photographed and used as illustrations in the printed book.
from http://www.weefolkstudio.com/about.htm
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
November 3, 2018
Salley Mavor's Boston Globe-Horn Book Award wining Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes presents and features exactly and precisely that, namely a true (and in my humble opinion) golden if not actually even platinum treasure trove of sweet delights, an enchanting compilation of a selection of traditional both American and British nursery rhymes (and oh how I am happy and appreciative that they are indeed ALL traditional). Accompanied by absolutely spectacularly lovely, intensely colourful and detailed sewn illustrations (with an interesting and appreciated artist's note that not only details how Salley Mavor proceeded to create her masterpieces but also demonstrates just how much time, effort and patience must have gone into this), I have not only totally enjoyed reading (revisiting) the included, the compiled nursery rhymes and feasting my eyes on the accompanying pictures, as someone with scant patience and absolutely NO talent whatsoever for sewing, I am also left in complete awe at how minutely detailed and full of visual information Salley Mavor's sewn and stitched scenes are. And truly, the ONLY reason why I am ranking Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes with four and not five stars is that I for one would also have wanted a bit of historical and cultural background information on at least some of the included rhymes presented (how for example, we now believe that Ring Around the Roses deals with the Bubonic Plague, with the Black Death, and how many of the presented nursery rhymes actually depict instances of poverty and want, such as the old woman in the shoe not knowing how to adequately feed her many children and that a simple dish of pease porridge often had to last many days).
July 20, 2016
A wise old owl
Lived in an oak;
The more he saw,
The less he spoke;
The less he spoke,
The more he heard.
Why can't we all be
Like that wise old bird?
I loved this one :)
In general, I didn't care that much for the rhymes, but the artwork in this book is simply AMAZING!
Lived in an oak;
The more he saw,
The less he spoke;
The less he spoke,
The more he heard.
Why can't we all be
Like that wise old bird?
I loved this one :)
In general, I didn't care that much for the rhymes, but the artwork in this book is simply AMAZING!
August 1, 2020
4 stars for the rhymes, because they’re fine, some were new to me.
5+++ for the illustrations because the art is just amazing.
5+++ for the illustrations because the art is just amazing.
September 19, 2011
Usually the illustrations in these nursery rhyme collections have dull, rathery samey, uninspired illustrations. Not here. These are works of art, done with naturally dyed wool, beads, buttons, lace and embroidery. They are amazing!
The poetry collection itself is a nice collection of things you'd expect to find as well as some ones you might not expect. Folk song fans will see some old favorites tucked in with the more traditional rhymes.
I borrowed this from the library but I would seriously love to own a copy some day.
The poetry collection itself is a nice collection of things you'd expect to find as well as some ones you might not expect. Folk song fans will see some old favorites tucked in with the more traditional rhymes.
I borrowed this from the library but I would seriously love to own a copy some day.
November 25, 2018
I didn't care for this as much as I hoped I would, or as much as I would have when I was a child. I did have a problem with the melancholy expressions on the dolls' faces, but that's not really such a big deal. But I just don't know exactly what my disappointment is, either.
Anyway, what I really liked is that many of the rhymes were new to me. So, I guess I'm giving it three stars.
Anyway, what I really liked is that many of the rhymes were new to me. So, I guess I'm giving it three stars.
February 1, 2012
I love bringing a wide variety of nusery rhyme books to show the families who attend Infant Lapsit and Book Babies storytimes at our library. This one will be a hit, I'm sure. The illustrations are hand sewn and absolutely amazing.
October 28, 2013
Even if you were not able to read the title the cover art of this picture book indicates it is a collection of nursery rhymes. The cover shows a number of characters from well known nursery rhymes such as Humpty Dumpty, Little Boy Blue and Mary with her lamb. What makes this book unique is the way the verses are illustrated: with small hand sewn dolls and animals, embroidered images of trees, insects and plants and the use of natural materials such as driftwood, acorn caps, shells, and stones.
The illustrations that accompany the nursery rhymes are photographs of intricately designed and staged pieces of textile art. Each scene is a joy to look at and would delight a child who could discover new things to look at with each reading. I especially loved the dolls and must admit that if I were a child, I would wish I could play with the figures and their settings. It might be frustrating for a kid to see these wonderful toys and only be able to look at the pictures.
While the text would lend itself to a library read aloud, the intricacy of the designs indicates that the book would function better in a one on one reading. I think it would be hard for an audience of children to really appreciate the art without being close to the book.
Each scene matches the text and illustrates the meaning of the rhyme. Since many of the words used are archaic (for example, swine for pigs), the illustrations supply meaning without the intercession of an adult. Or, at the least, a perceptive child could figure it out without an adult.
The beginning verses are all about mornings and waking up and the final poems are about going to bed. In between, I could discern no appreciable structure but all are beautifully illustrated and charming to look at. I suspect the artist selected rhymes which she would enjoy illustrating.
The book has a helpful index of first lines at the end. I also enjoyed reading the artist’s note about how she created the images. The joy and pleasure she had in creating them comes across in the art but reading about her process was also fun.
The illustrations that accompany the nursery rhymes are photographs of intricately designed and staged pieces of textile art. Each scene is a joy to look at and would delight a child who could discover new things to look at with each reading. I especially loved the dolls and must admit that if I were a child, I would wish I could play with the figures and their settings. It might be frustrating for a kid to see these wonderful toys and only be able to look at the pictures.
While the text would lend itself to a library read aloud, the intricacy of the designs indicates that the book would function better in a one on one reading. I think it would be hard for an audience of children to really appreciate the art without being close to the book.
Each scene matches the text and illustrates the meaning of the rhyme. Since many of the words used are archaic (for example, swine for pigs), the illustrations supply meaning without the intercession of an adult. Or, at the least, a perceptive child could figure it out without an adult.
The beginning verses are all about mornings and waking up and the final poems are about going to bed. In between, I could discern no appreciable structure but all are beautifully illustrated and charming to look at. I suspect the artist selected rhymes which she would enjoy illustrating.
The book has a helpful index of first lines at the end. I also enjoyed reading the artist’s note about how she created the images. The joy and pleasure she had in creating them comes across in the art but reading about her process was also fun.
June 17, 2013
A Pocketful of Posies contains 64 classic nursery rhymes which vary in length from the two lined, “Here am I, Little Jumping Joan; When nobody’s with me, I’m all alone,” to the four quatrain stanzas that make up “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. Mavor includes many familiar rhymes like Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?, Hey, diddle diddle, Little Miss Muffet, and Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man, but leaves about a third of the collection to lesser known rhymes like, Jerry Hall, he is so small!, Elsie Marley has grown so fine, and The big ship sails on the alley-alley-oh. While the rhymes themselves do not directly represent a variety of cultures, the characters in the illustrations possess a range of skin, eye, and hair colors. The characters are also pictured in apparel from different cultures and different time periods. The rhymes are cleverly arranged so that they are often grouped t by theme so that Pease-porridge hot appears on the same page as Little Tom Tucker, sang for his supper and I eat my peas with honey. The rhymes are also loosely organized to mirror the day- the collection begins with The cock crows in the morn and ends with Go to bed first, a golden purse. The back of the book includes a handy index of first lines. The remarkable illustrations set this collection apart from any other cache of nursery rhymes. Children will spend hours examining the astonishing detail in the stitching and picking out the little objects that appear here and there (Mary, mary quite contrary’s garden features trees with tiny silver jingle bells and minuscule seashells sewn to the branches). Because the photographs of the sewn scenes provide a backdrop for the entirety of each page, it is easy to be drawn in to the fairytale-like world of the nursery rhymes they illustrate. This is an essential purchase for any library in need of a classic collection of nursery rhymes.
March 9, 2016
Mavor, Salley. Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Houghton, 2010.
This Mother Goose book has a compilation of classic nursery rhymes like “Jack And Jill Went Up The Hill” and “Humpty Dumpty Sat On The Wall”. The glory of this book is its unique illustrations. Each page shows pieces of artwork completely original and hand-sewn together with natural materials like, wool felt, driftwood, small beads, mini shells, buttons and flower petals to name a few. The intricate details and colorful materials used will engage young readers to want to learn the nursery rhymes and read each page enthusiastically. The photographs of the sewn scenes are so well done that readers will be drawn in to the fairytale-like world of the nursery rhymes they illustrate. I also noticed that Sally Mavor represents a variety of cultures through the character’s range of skin, eye and hair color. The characters are also pictured in apparel from different cultures and different time periods allowing the reader to see and relate to cultural diversity throughout each page. This book would be an excellent read aloud and introduction to poetry.
Target audience: ages 3-7 (Beginning Book – Mother Goose from storyplace.org)
This Mother Goose book has a compilation of classic nursery rhymes like “Jack And Jill Went Up The Hill” and “Humpty Dumpty Sat On The Wall”. The glory of this book is its unique illustrations. Each page shows pieces of artwork completely original and hand-sewn together with natural materials like, wool felt, driftwood, small beads, mini shells, buttons and flower petals to name a few. The intricate details and colorful materials used will engage young readers to want to learn the nursery rhymes and read each page enthusiastically. The photographs of the sewn scenes are so well done that readers will be drawn in to the fairytale-like world of the nursery rhymes they illustrate. I also noticed that Sally Mavor represents a variety of cultures through the character’s range of skin, eye and hair color. The characters are also pictured in apparel from different cultures and different time periods allowing the reader to see and relate to cultural diversity throughout each page. This book would be an excellent read aloud and introduction to poetry.
Target audience: ages 3-7 (Beginning Book – Mother Goose from storyplace.org)
January 31, 2011
This book contains classic nursery rhymes like “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The text is unchanged from the classic style, making this book a reassuring one to share with children. The surprise and wonder of the book is its illustrations. Done in fabrics and threads, the illustrations have a great dimensionality to them, lifting off of the page. There is also an almost irresistible urge to try to feel the fabric’s softness on some pages. If you look closely, you will find other objects in the illustrations as well: small shells, acorn caps, pine cones.
The bright colors make the book immediately appealing. The softness of the illustrations, created by the fabric, continue to add to the appeal. This becomes more than a book of nursery rhymes and turns into a book that can be pored over time and again. It is a refreshing and interesting style that is timeless and lovely.
Highly recommended, this would make a gorgeous baby gift. Stand it up in the library facing out, and it won’t take long for someone to whisk it away to check out. Appropriate for ages 1-3.
The bright colors make the book immediately appealing. The softness of the illustrations, created by the fabric, continue to add to the appeal. This becomes more than a book of nursery rhymes and turns into a book that can be pored over time and again. It is a refreshing and interesting style that is timeless and lovely.
Highly recommended, this would make a gorgeous baby gift. Stand it up in the library facing out, and it won’t take long for someone to whisk it away to check out. Appropriate for ages 1-3.
November 29, 2012
The artwork in this book was phenomenal, never have I seen a book illustrated in such a detailed way. Salley Mavor uses stitching, dyed wool, a variety of fabrics and colorful threads to bring classic nursery rhymes to life. These illustrations are so rare and beautiful it’s almost a guarantee to capture the attention of people all ages, from a child to an adult. Most of the nursery rhymes Mavor uses are those that older generations are familiar with. I think we can all agree that nursery rhymes are no longer appreciated anymore. I see this book as a teaching tool we can use that is both educational and fun. While the majority of the rhymes are classics, Mavor did put a few that most people are not familiar with. This book is the perfect way to once again introduce those rhymes we all loved to sing as children.
April 26, 2013
I thought this book was different because pictures are prints of different figures and objects made out of cloth and fabric. I remember as a child I had many books full of nursery rhymes. If you're looking for a nursery rhyme book for your child then this is it! There are over sixty nursery rhymes that you and your child can read together. This book will bring you back to some of the old classics that you grew up with and you can share them with your children or students at home and in the classroom. I loved that the pictures in the book were something that you don't see everyday. She used a wide arrange of colors for the characters and the scenery. Salley truly has talent! It was fun to see the characters and it was amazing because you could see the time and effort she put into it to make the nursery rhymes come to life. I will definitely keep this around for my future children.
July 7, 2011
I'm glad this earned the Boston Globe-Horn Book honor. Things I noticed right away were the amazing artwork illustrations (great models for kid collage although the stitching is way beyond beautiful - what art teacher won't love this), the altering the Nursery Rhymes to make them gender neutral(Oh cool! said Don), and that the index of first lines included The - is this now the standard since it is how computers alphabetize? The layout is exceptional and I can see using it to teach tracking on pages such as the crooked man. Nursery Rhymes also make an interesting study for older students in punctuation since they are poetry and don't need to follow the rules, but are easier to read if you use punctuation. I don't own a copy of this yet, but I will!
May 18, 2012
There were a few rhymes in this book that I either didn't know, knew a slightly different version, or never considered a nursery rhyme when I was growing up (but can see that others might). I was wondering why a nursery rhyme book got into the Poetry nominations, but I believe it was mostly for the illustrations. What talent! All handmade. A felty-craft lover (like my sister-in-law) would love this. Such ideas it gives. I have no talent or patience for such work, so I admire it even more. Very fun and lovely to look at--I actually felt like I was in a Mother Goose, nursery rhyme kind of world. The sad thing is I don't think the very young readers will appreciate the art as much. But maybe the school-age kids can.
Definitely show this to the craft lovers--I think they will like it.
Definitely show this to the craft lovers--I think they will like it.
July 11, 2018
The same nursery rhymes you've already read quite a bit,
if you are a person who reads kid lit
Couldn't help myself.. Anyhow, yes, possibly three or four nursery rhymes that were fresh to my eyes and even then I'd seen them before, just not in awhile.
The illustration style in this book is pretty darn cool if you like needlecraft. I was really just reading the nursery rhymes as quickly as possible so I could get back to the pictures. I love working with felt and embroidery, so, this book had all sorts of fun looking ideas in it even though that isn't what it's intended for.
if you are a person who reads kid lit
Couldn't help myself.. Anyhow, yes, possibly three or four nursery rhymes that were fresh to my eyes and even then I'd seen them before, just not in awhile.
The illustration style in this book is pretty darn cool if you like needlecraft. I was really just reading the nursery rhymes as quickly as possible so I could get back to the pictures. I love working with felt and embroidery, so, this book had all sorts of fun looking ideas in it even though that isn't what it's intended for.
January 25, 2016
Early to bed, early to rise,
Tis' the way the old owl died.
Tis' the way the old owl died.
October 14, 2017
We love nursery rhymes and this one was delightful with such pretty pictures.
February 15, 2019
Beautiful, beautiful book.
November 27, 2017
Beautifully illustrated. It kept my grandson occupied for a long time. He loves the pictures and the nursery rhymes. The illustrations look like embroidery.
March 3, 2018
I loved the nursery rhymes this one was delightful with such pretty pictures.
May 14, 2018
One of the most beautifully illustrated books that I have ever seen!
January 17, 2019
This is a lovely book of nursery rhymes! It really stands out, first because of the wonderful, hand-sewn art; and second, because it includes many lesser known rhymes that I haven't seen in other collections. I really enjoyed reading "Donkey, donkey, old and gray," "A wise old owl," and "The big ship sails on the alley-alley-oh," which were all new to me. The rhymes are all traditional; yet, the book feels more modern than many other nursery rhyme collections. Check it out!
August 28, 2021
I borrowed the Salley Mavor books from my library to view the beautiful hand stitching of this amazing fiber artist. I’m embarrassed to say I only heard about her through a sewing FB group. I wanted to catch her latest show at a museum in SC, but I couldn’t make the drive. I hope to see her work in real life, soon. The books are a lot of to look at and you can spend time looking at all the tiny details.
December 6, 2024
I was lucky enough to recently take in an exhibit of this author-artist's work at the Albany Institute, prompting me to buy this book. Her three dimensional embroidery is incredible. Observing it in person is ideal, however exploring the pictures in this book and pairing them with the nursery rhymes with my little one was still so fun.
June 19, 2019
A fabulous collection of rhymes with gorgeous hand-created pictures.
A few in the collection that aren't my favourite, so skipped over them, but we have read this to exhaustion and even after renewing a few times, will go return it with late fees ;)
A few in the collection that aren't my favourite, so skipped over them, but we have read this to exhaustion and even after renewing a few times, will go return it with late fees ;)
April 4, 2019
This is a collection of different nursery rhymes. The art work is beautiful! Like BEAUTIFUL! 🥰
May 5, 2019
Put on the list of books you want to read to someone you really love.
Pre-reader K would memorize large swaths of this one.
Pre-reader K would memorize large swaths of this one.
March 6, 2020
This is my favorite book of nursery rhymes. The illustrations are embroidered felt with tiny felt dolls with wooden bead heads. It is adorable!
March 20, 2021
Amazing illustrations!
June 26, 2022
Amazing illustrations!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews