This little book is a collection of all those familiar sayings and proverbs handed down through generations of mothers. Some of them will make us smile, others frown, but few will be unfamiliar.

The things our mothers tell us when we are little never leave us. Many of the sayings contained in this book have become part of our day-to-day culture. `Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'; `Absence makes the heart grow fonder'; `Marry in haste, repent at leisure' - these have become standards by which we live our lives. Others - `Never trust a man who wears a brown suit' or `I'm not as green as I am cabbage-looking' are a litte more obscure.

Anna Tochter knows that there is still much wisdom contained in these sayings. They may be a somewhat random mixture of values and prejudice, old-wives' tales and common sense, but ultimately are a testament to our mothers' love for us.