Pop Goes the Weasel - Book Review!

I promised you another book review and here it is! I came across this book in Borders a few months ago and promptly forgot about it. Two weeks ago, I picked it up and realized what I was missing! First off, I am definitely someone who relishes random information. I am the girl who says, "Hey, did you know that chickens are born with 2 ovaries, but the right one always atrophies shortly after sexual maturation?" Yeah, THAT girl.

Quite obviously then, Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes was right up my alley! You know your childhood favorite, "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep?" The one you thought was about sharing? it's actually about INEQUITY of life back then - one third of your wool went to the master (king), two thirds went to the clergy (dame) and none to the shepherd! (The original last few lines were: One for the master, two for the dame and none for the little boy who cries in the lane.)

Another interesting story is the behind "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." The rest of it, which I didn't know, is, "Apple in the morning, doctor's warning. Roast apple at night, starves the doctor outright. Eat an apple at bed, knock the doctor on the head. Three each day, seven days a week, ruddy apple, ruddy cheek." The book explains how this rhyme stemmed from the feud between folk medicine and the "new" medicine in the 16th century. The advice here is that doctors are to be avoided; they are only looking to take your money.

I really enjoyed this book and if you like knowing a bit about everything, you will too! At under $10 (on Amazon) and under 250 pages, it would be a great stocking stuffer, too!