Who was Miss Muffett?  What was the plum that Jack Horner pulled from his pie? The real stories behind the nursery rhymes you grew up with.

In Rhyme and Reason, Australian author Susan Ackroyd uncovers the stories behind our best-loved nursery rhymes, revealing the history, politics and social anxieties hidden beneath their playful verses. Meticulously researched yet warmly presented, the talk suggests that our ancestors used childish rhyme as a safe way to express real events in troubled times.

Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about the rhymes that shaped your childhood, Rhyme and Reason promises insight, surprise and delight—celebrating the remarkable fact that orally transmitted rhymes from the 13th to the 18th centuries are still known and recited today.