Mary R. Lanni, "Using Nursery Rhymes with Today’s Kids: Their Legacy and Evolution" (Bloomsbury, 2026)

Mary R. Lanni, "Using Nursery Rhymes with Today’s Kids: Their Legacy and Evolution" (Bloomsbury, 2026)

From New Books in Popular Culture by Marshall Poe

June 4, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

Mary R. Lanni discusses her book on the legacy and evolution of nursery rhymes and their relevance to today's children.

In this illuminating conversation with librarian-author Mary R. Lanni, we celebrate her brand new book, Using Nursery Rhymes with Today’s Kids: Their Legacy and Evolution (Bloomsbury, 2026). Mary is a professional librarian in Denver, Colorado, USA. She is also co-author of Early Learning Through Play: Library Programming for Diverse Communities (Libraries Unlimited, 2019). We talk about the potentially sordid history of famous nursery rhymes, and the possibility of supplanting problematic ancient poems with new, inclusive songs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/popular-culture

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Mary R. Lanni

Topics covered

  • nursery rhymes
  • children's literature
  • inclusive songs
  • library programming
  • cultural history

Keywords

  • nursery rhymes
  • children
  • history
  • inclusivity
  • library
  • Denver
  • Mary R. Lanni

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bloomsbury, Libraries Unlimited

Books & works: Using Nursery Rhymes with Today’s Kids: Their Legacy and Evolution, Early Learning Through Play: Library Programming for Diverse Communities

Places: Denver, Colorado, USA

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