Iona and Peter Opie facts for kids

Iona Margaret Balfour Opie, CBE, FBA (born October 13, 1923 – died October 23, 2017) and Peter Mason Opie (born November 25, 1918 – died February 5, 1982) were a married English team. They were folklorists, which means they studied traditional stories, customs, and beliefs. They used new methods to study children's literature.

Their main studies include The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959). They also collected many children's books, toys, and games. Their collection of children's books is very rich. It covers books from the 16th to the 20th century. This collection was given to the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. The Opie Collection of Children's Games and Songs is an archive of audiotapes. These were given to the British Library.

Who Were Iona and Peter Opie?

Iona Opie's Work

Iona Margaret Balfour Archibald was a researcher and writer. She focused on folklore and how children play and interact in their neighborhoods. She was an expert on children's rhymes, street and playground games. She also studied the Mother Goose tradition. In 1998, she became a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA). The next year, in 1999, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Peter Opie's Background

Peter Opie was born in Cairo, Egypt. He went to school at Eton College. He was an expert in children's literature. He also studied the customs and traditions of schoolchildren. Peter won a £1,000 competition for his book. It was called The Case of Being a Young Man. This book was published in 1946.

Their Life and Work Together

Iona and Peter met during World War II. They got married on September 2, 1943. They worked very closely together from their home. They lived near Farnham, Surrey, and later in Alton, Hampshire. They did a lot of fieldwork. This meant they went out and observed children. They also did research in libraries. They interviewed thousands of children. They directly recorded rhymes and games as they were being played. This helped them understand the folklore of childhood.

They wrote many famous books together. In total, they produced over 30 works. In 1960, they were jointly given the Coote Lake Medal. This medal is awarded by The Folklore Society. It is given for excellent research and scholarship. Peter Opie passed away on February 5, 1982, at his home.

Iona Opie spoke about working with her husband in 2010. She said it was like "two of us in a very small boat." She added, "each had an oar and we were trying to row across the Atlantic." Their 1959 book, The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, had an important goal. It aimed to show that children's traditions were still strong. This was meant to counter the idea that mass media had ruined childhood games.

Opie Collections

Children's Books and Ephemera

The Opies' collection of children's books is very special. It includes items from the 16th to the 20th century. It is known as the richest library of children's literature. They started this collection in 1944. It grew to include 20,000 different pieces. In 1988, the collection was given to the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. A public appeal helped raise £500,000 to make this possible. The collection is also available to view on microfiche.

Children's Games and Songs Archive

The Opie Collection of Children's Games and Songs is an archive of audiotapes. These tapes were given to the British Library in 1998. They contain recordings of children playing. Iona Opie made these recordings between 1969 and 1983. This was research for her book The Singing Game. The collection has been made digital. It is now available online. This was done through a project with the British Library and the University of Sheffield.

Selected Works

Iona and Peter Opie wrote many books. Here are some of their important works:

• Peter Opie, 1946, The Case of Being a Young Man
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1947, I Saw Esau: Traditional Rhymes of Youth
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1951, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1959, The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1963, The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1969, Children's Games in Street and Playground
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1974, The Classic Fairy Tales. This book showed twenty-four familiar fairy tales. It presented them as they were first published in English.
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1985, The Singing Game
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1988, Tail Feathers of Mother Goose
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1997, Children's Games with Things

Later Editions of Their Books

Many of their books have been re-released.

• Iona and Peter Opie, with Maurice Sendak illustrations, 1992. I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book (a new edition of their 1947 book)
• Iona Opie, 1993. The People in the Playground
• Iona Opie, 1996. My Very First Mother Goose
• Iona Opie, 1999. Here Comes Mother Goose
• Iona and Peter Opie, 1999. The Puffin Book of Nursery Rhymes (a new edition of their 1963 book)
• Iona and Peter Opie, 2000. The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (a new edition with introductions by Marina Warner and Iona Opie)
• Iona Opie, 2007. Mother Goose's Little Treasures