Whoever thought a childish nursery rhyme could have such a colorful history?
A very interesting talk was given by Leon Blum, to ESRA Modiin recently, explaining the history behind many well-known nursery rhymes. Some were funny, some were horrific and some were plain silly. As the truth behind each rhyme unfolded, the notion of children being entertained for many decades by these stories set to music, seemed at odds with what we had just been told.
Leon Blum's knowledge of the background to each of these rhymes was quite admirable. He accompanied each rhyme with a photo or two plus some depictions of the meanings of many. Only after hearing all the explanations did I have second thoughts about whether we should continue singing the songs and teaching each generation of young children. With the advent of Dr Google and the fact that young people today are very efficient at discovering things on the Internet I pondered as to how long it would be before nursery rhymes will be outlawed as politically incorrect.
Leon was a most entertaining speaker and received warm applause from the audience.