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(3)
K-3
This cumulative verse traditionally sung at the end of Passover Seder begins with a goat who is eaten by a cat who is bitten by a dog and so on. A note on the various religious interpretations of the text appears at the end along with the jaunty tune and Aramaic transliteration. Chwast's playful paintings are set in an Eastern European village.
32 pp.
| Godine
| September, 2004
|
TradeISBN 1-56792-270-8$17.95
(3)
PS
Illustrations set in Pennsylvania Dutch country depict a young Amish farm family. The page design is reminiscent of needlepoint samplers, and the tawny colors are earthy and pleasing. A smaller trim size lends distinction. Information about the traditional circle game and song are provided, and the music is included on the endpapers.
32 pp.
| Little/Tingley
| September, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-316-07203-6$15.99
(2)
PS
Illustrated by
Marla Frazee.
Guthrie's folksong is buoyant but disjointed; Frazee turns it into a coherent, child-appealing picture book. A boy with a guitar boards the new baby train, accompanying some dozen infants heading for their new homes. The babies are nicely differentiated--by skin color, hairstyle, and a cap or two. All receive the same joyous welcome from their new families at journey's end. The 1930s Dust Bowl setting is striking.
32 pp.
| Little/Tingley
| June, 2004
|
TradeISBN 0-316-82256-6$$15.95
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Ashley Wolff.
In this adaptation of the classic folksong, a bevy of southwestern animals from the town of Reederville prepare a feast for the arrival of a guest--that is, when they're not taking a break to read a book. The galloping lilt of the text is made fresh with clever wordplay and references to Mexican cuisine and music. Librarians will be especially delighted once the guest's identity is revealed.
96 pp.
| Holt
| October, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-7445-7$$19.95
(4)
K-3
A wide range of songs (lyrics and music), including nursery rhymes such as "London Bridge" and spirituals such as "Down by the Riverside," are accompanied by reproduced works of art. Brief comments on the song and/or the related painting occasionally strain to connect the two, but adults may appreciate the opportunity to engage young readers in discussions of art and song origins.
48 pp.
| Holt
| June, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-6683-7$$18.95
(3)
K-3
Children of all colors share outdoor camping activities in lively folk-art paintings with the lyrics for thirty-four favorite camp songs superimposed. Cheery wake-up calls, group-gathering choruses, tongue-in-cheek laments, and calming evening hymns are arranged to delineate the camp experience from sun-up to taps. Though the music isn't included, most of the tunes will be recognizable.
148 pp.
| Knopf
| May, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-375-82527-4$$24.95
|
LibraryISBN 0-375-92527-9$$19.99 1992
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Allen Garns.
Originally published as Gonna Sing My Head Off!: American Folk Songs for Children, this attractive collection includes more than sixty traditional and contemporary folk songs. Each song is introduced with a short paragraph describing its origins and place in American culture. The trade edition comes with a CD of twenty-three of the songs.
(4)
PS
This interpretation of the children's folksong features two apparently love-struck puppies. While the long-eared dogs and their antics are mildly amusing, they add little dimension to the well-known text. The "fun foldout surprise" advertised on the cover is disappointing, but finger-play instructions are included at the back.
40 pp.
| Harcourt/Gulliver
| April, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-15-201945-6$$16.00
(2)
PS
In this imaginative interpretation, a farming couple tends to their chores over nine months. The lyrics serve as a cumulative text, and mixed-media artwork tells the story. Alternating double-page spreads feature one month and one animal first in a peaceful farmyard scene, then inside the barn, where animals jam to their hearts' content. A moonlight concert celebrates what they've all been waiting for: a baby.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2002
40 pp.
| Handprint
| June, 2002
|
TradeISBN 1-929766-45-9$$15.95
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Emily Bolam.
As she sets out for the Boston Common on her bicycle, a little girl collects many followers, from a farmer pulling his pig behind his tractor to a carload of motorists. Author and illustrator present an idyllic view of the Common (children dance around a maypole, and one spread echoes Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte) in this exuberant adaptation of an Appalachian folk song. Music included.
122 pp.
| Atheneum
| September, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-689-83369-5$$17.95
(2)
4-6
Neimark, whose portrait centers its interpretation on a rootless boy who grew up to become a rootless man, writes with an energy reflective of young Woody hurrying to get words on paper. She doesn't ignore his imperfections, yet it is Woody's own voice that takes center stage, resulting in almost a written hootenanny in tribute to this "wispy little guitar picker." Ind.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2002
32 pp.
| Whispering
| July, 2002
|
TradeISBN 1-58089-028-8$$15.95
(4)
PS
In this adaptation of the old folk song, Froggie proposes indiscriminately to females of different species but is spurned each time for being a frog. Finally, he meets a female frog who proposes to him. The song's rhymes are sometimes clunky; the watercolors lean too heavily on hearts and flowers but suit the story. The message--find happiness with your own kind--is for each reader to accept or reject.
32 pp.
| HarperCollins
| May, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-06-029359-4$$15.95
|
LibraryISBN 0-06-029360-8$$15.89 1957
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Irene Haas.
This bouncy tale is back with new full-color illustrations done by the book's original illustrator. Based on a folk song (music is appended), this is the story of a little man who trades everything he gets, eventually ending up with what he started with. The book's long rectangular shape is used cleverly in double-page spreads that pull the action along.
32 pp.
| Boyds
| September, 2000
|
TradeISBN 1-56397-775-3$$14.95
(4)
PS
O'Brien pictures the "dell" as a ravine into which the farmer has fallen, creating a logical reason for the familiar chain of people and animals; they are trying to pull the farmer out. At first the standoffish cheese does not want to help, but finally it, too, is persuaded. While the people and animals take on a similar look in the quietly comical paintings, the cheese--with its humorously expressive stick arms and legs--really stands alone.
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Virginia Lee Burton.
A Caldecott Honor book, this collection of fifteen Robin Hood ballads is an example of superb bookmaking. Burton's pen-and-ink and scratchboard illustrations took three years to produce, and the level of detail she achieved is truly astonishing. While the number of children who will appreciate this book is small, anyone who loves the book as a physical object will need to add this amazing reissue to his or her collection.
Reviewer: Terri Schmitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 1947
24 pp.
| Candlewick
| April, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-7636-0768-1$$12.99
|
LibraryISBN 0-7636-1261-8$$12.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Vladimir Radunsky.
With a chorus of rollicking nonsense words ("Howjee, heejee, hijee, hojee," etc.) this friendliest of folksongs is a bouncy choice to share with young children (a CD accompanies the trade edition so you can get the melody right should you prefer to sing the words). Radunsky's bright, blocky collages, showing gregarious people and animals meeting and greeting, are a winning match for Guthrie's lyrics.
24 pp.
| Candlewick
| September, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-7636-0769-X$$12.99
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Vladimir Radunsky.
A strongly child-centered text with an onomatopoeic chorus describes plans to build a house for "our pretty little baby-o." Radunsky's vibrant collages show two children and some animals using tools and playing house. The last two spreads and the endpapers feature children's drawings, perhaps of the characters seen on the preceding pages. The melody and guitar chords of Guthrie's song are on the inside of the dust jacket.
(3)
K-3
Using the old counting song "This Old Man" as a starting point, Kellogg adds nine wacky new verses. His illustrations, filled with humorous details and dialogue bubbles, introduce a delightful assortment of old men playing nick-nack and handing out bones, including a snow sculptor, a chicken-napper, and an umpire with a Seeing Eye dog. Includes music and an author's note about the song.
32 pp.
| Little
| April, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-316-71227-2$$13.95
(3)
K-3
Froggie sets off to marry Ms. Mouse, who lives above a cheese shop on the Upper West Side. Auntie Rat is against the match, so when a feline wedding guest eats her, the period of mourning is brief. The humor lies primarily in knowing how different this version of the folksong is from more traditional ones. Priceman's lively, colorful paintings spill off the pages and appropriately reflect the celebratory atmosphere of the rhyming text.
40 pp.
| Harcourt/Browndeer
| September, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-15-201429-2$$15.00
(1)
PS
Frazee has set her spirited, highly original version of the timeless lullaby in Appalachia, supplying as protagonist a little girl who has the bright idea of acquiring items from a traveling tinker to distract her howling infant sibling. The strong story line matches the vigorous, muscular layout and robust illustrations perfectly. The sweetest--and definitely savviest--little version of this particular lullaby to date.