Mother Goose - 10/31/26

Mother Goose

May 1, 2026 - 10/31/2026

Level 1: 5 - 10 tasks
Level 2: 11 - 20 tasks
Level 3 21 tasks
 
You can do 2 tasks per number.

14/21
 
TASKS
 
1. Mother Goose is the legendary, fictional author of a massive collection of nursery rhymes and fairy tales that have shaped chiltidren's literature for centuries.
🪿 Read a book tagged fairy tale or
🪿 with a bird on the cover or

To Love a Lyon - Matilda Madison (Dragonblade - Feb 2026) (swan) - June 27
🪿 wIth a character who is a mother.

Operation Rescue - Justine Davis (HRS #2352 - Dec 2025) - May 11
 
2. While often pictured as an elderly woman riding a flying gander, she is a cultural archetype rather than a single historical person. The most common version of the rhyme describes her riding through the air and living in a house in the woods:
🪿 Read a book with a character who is elderly over 65 or

🪿 where a character lives in the woods or
🪿 where a character goes riding.

The Duke's Blade - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - May 2026) - June 7
 
3. Old Mother Goose, when she wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air on a very fine gander.
Mother Goose had a house, 'twas built in a wood,
Where an owl at the door for sentinel stood.
🪿 Read a book with a wood or forest on the cover or

Colton in the Wild - Justine Davis (HRS #2335 - Aug 2025) - June 4
🪿 with the word mother in the text (Give a partial sentence and page/loc #) or

A Killer's Target - Dana R. Lynn (LIS #1264 - Aug 2026) (her mother passed away - pg 14) - June 30
🪿 where the author's initials can be found in GANDER.
 
4. The name first gained literary fame in 17th-century France.
Charles Perrault in 1697 published Histoires ou contes du temps passé, which bore the subtitle Contes de ma mère l’Oye ("Tales of My Mother Goose").
🪿 Read a book set in France or
🪿 with a character called Charles or
🪿 a book tagged history/historical.
 
5. John Newbery a British publisher who solidified the link between Mother Goose and nursery rhymes in the 1760s with Mother Goose's Melody, moving the name away from prose stories toward the verse we know today.
🪿 Read a book tagged music or
🪿 a book with one of the following numbers in the page count 1, 7, 6 or 0 or

The Lyon Won't Lose - Dayna Quince (Dragonblade - Dec 2025) (263 pgs) - June 5
🪿 read a book with a character called John.
 
6. A popular American myth claims Mother Goose was a real woman from Boston named Elizabeth Foster Goose (1665–1758). However, historians consider this story a later invention with no evidence to support it.
🪿 Read a book set in Massachusetts or
🪿 a character called Elizabeth or Foster or
🪿 with a character who needs to find evidence.

The Husband's Secret - Debra Webb (HI #2362 - June 2026) - May 21
 
7. Today, the brand continues through various educational programs and entertainment. Mother Goose Club: A popular YouTube channel and Amazon Prime series featuring characters that teach preschool themes through songs and dance.
🪿Read a book where a character goes to a club or
🪿 who is a teacher or

Peak Suspicion - Cindi Myers (HI #2325 - Dec 2025) - June 2
🪿 where a character dances or sings.
 
8. Initiatives like Mother Goose on the Loose use the rhymes to help develop early literacy and phonemic awareness in children.
A famous granite statue of Mother Goose resides in New York City's Central Park.
🪿 Read a book set in New York City or
🪿 where a character reads a book or
🪿 where the author's initials can be found in GOOSE On The LOOSE.
 
9. The Mother Goose pantomime is a beloved British theatrical tradition that has changed significantly over the last two centuries and has changed how Mother Goose is perceived. Unlike other pantomimes based on nursery rhymes, this story is a morality tale about beauty and greed.
🪿Read a book that is second in a series or

Legacy of Redemption - Kenna Scott (HRS #2358 - Jan 2026) - June 1
🪿 read a play or
🪿 read a book set in England.
 
10. The 1806 Original was the first major production, Harlequin and Mother Goose; or, The Golden Egg, debuted at Covent Garden and starred the legendary Joseph Grimaldi. In this version, Mother Goose was a mysterious "Good Witch" or benevolent agent who helped young lovers.
🪿Read a book where a character eats eggs (Give a partial sentence and page/loc #) or

Travis - Josie Jade (Calamitte Jane Pub - Apr 2026) (slid eggs onto a plate - pg 63) - May 1
🪿 where a character works in a garden or

Protective Assignment - Janie Crouch (HI #2310 - Sept 2025) - May 2
🪿 with a character who is a witch.
 
11. In British tradition, Mother Goose is unique among pantomimes because it is the only one where the Pantomime Dame is the titular lead role. It is often called the "Hamlet" of dames because of the dramatic range required for the part.
🪿 Read a book where a character has a lead role in a play or
🪿 read Hamlet or
🪿 a book that is tagged drama.
 
12. Mother Goose is a poor widow threatened with eviction by a greedy Squire at the beginning of the pantomime and a "Good Fairy" sends Priscilla the Goose, who lays golden eggs, making Mother Goose instantly wealthy.
🪿 Read a book where the MC is a widow or

Reclaiming His Viking Queen - Lucy Morris (HH #1898 - Jan 2026) - May 20
🪿 where a character is going to be evicted or

The Dating Game - Mona Shroff (HSE #3125 - Jan 2026) - May 8
🪿 with a character who is wealthy.
 
13. Of course what is a pantomime without an evil character. The Demon King bets that he can corrupt Mother Goose and offers her eternal youth and beauty in exchange for her beloved Priscilla. Mother Goose realizes that "beauty is only skin deep" and wealth cannot buy happiness. She eventually rescues Priscilla, and they live happily ever after.
🪿 Read a book where a character is corrupt or

Code Name: Leo - Janie Crouch (Calamitte Jane Pub - May 2026) - June 2
🪿 with a MC who is young (Under 21) or
🪿 a character who is beautiful.