A book of American rhymes and jingles.

Many of the rhymes in this book are familiar or traditional. I appreciate these kinds of poems because it shows poems from long ago. It also has songs or jingles that are also traditional. Students can use these poems to create a new version or a different version of the poems. ( )

The subtitle is: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles. And that’s what it is, a collection of rhymes and jingles. Most were familiar to me from my childhood. There really is no story arc, though there is some effort to group them by categories, e.g. jokes/riddles. I’m not sure I would have sat still to have this read to me even as a young child.

The illustrations are wonderful, however. Very detailed and clearly support the rhymes and jingles. So 2 stars for that. ( )

It'll be interesting to see what I think, compared to other reviewers' reactions. I'm especially intrigued by the fact that some readers focus on it being cute, while others say that some selections are weird, creepy, or nonsensical. Well, hmm. Isn't a lot of traditional folklore weird, creepy, or nonsensical?

Rock-a-bye baby... Hansel and Gretel... Santa delivering billions of presents in one night... I've never seen a Purple Cow... I see London; I see France.... feel free to add verses and chants from your own childhood memories....

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Ok, now I've read it. And thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't find it weird or creepy at all. Well, at least compared to many of the rhymes of Mother Goose or the stories from Grimm. I found it, simply put, a wonderful collection to add to an infant's library. Most children are gifted at least one collection of nursery rhymes, but more often than not they're very English. This is American, thank you.

Many of these rhymes are familiar, some I knew but have forgotten. And some were brand-new to me and I wish I'd known them when my sons were little. We would have loved, for example, this finger-game:

Here is the bee-hive,
Where are the bees?
Hiding away where nobody sees.
They are coming out now,
They are all alive.
One! Two! Three! Four! Five!

This rhyme is illustrated so the reader understands to start with a fist, end with a fully open hand. Unfortunately, not all games are explained, so the book is not as valuable as it could be. Still highly recommended, especially to young families. Perhaps one could use the internet to find the instructions for some of the games. ( )

Good book to teach kids rhymes and jingles.