"The land was white,
The seed was black;
It will take a good scholar
To riddle me that..."

"The White Land" is a picture book of traditional rhymes and verse
from Olde England, some familiar some not-so. Each is illustrated
with b/w line drawings and a full colour plate and - oh - what a treat
this is. Mr Briggs takes us back in time. We see maids at work,
a woman washing clothes, young lads and lasses, society gentleman
and ladies, folks on the road and in the fields - snapshots of the
era in which these works arose.

Briggs' pallette is beautifully muted. There are lots of earthy,
colours and seasonal shades. Figures are set against tumbling skies,
they trudge along ruddy paths, and ride through frothed waters...

There are 23 rhymes and verses represented.
Here are the titles:

Blow, Wind, Blow           Wine and Cakes
Cock-crow                    Little Blue Ben
Pippen Hill                    Terence McDiddler
Peter                           Charley Barley
Three Young Rats          Fishes Swim
Banbury Fair                 My Mother Said   
Barber, Barber               Grey Goose  
Robin the Bobbin            Bed Time 
Tommy Trot                  Three a-bed
The Coachman              Goodnight, Sweet Repose
Washing Day                 

By the way, that cover illustration features Robbin the Bobbin,
the big-bellied Ben, eating a steeple (and all the good people)...


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