Collected by Elizabether Hammill
Illustrated by more than 70 celebrated artists
Candlewick Press. 2015
ISBN: 9780763677299
Babies – Grade 3
I received a copy of
this book from the publisher.
Read this article over at Reading While White
I love nursery rhymes and so does Elizabeth Hammill, critic, bookseller and cofounder of Seven Stories, Britain’s National Center for Children’s Books.
Hammill states in her introduction, Nursery rhymes have enlivened my life for as long as I can remember. Mine, too. As librarians, parents, and teachers, we all know that early exposure to books is an important element in a child’s
development. It helps them master language and, hopefully, to love reading.
Nursery rhymes, with their repetition, rhyme and beat is a pleasurable way to
engage young children, especially babies. It's really fun to see toddlers stopping in mid-motion when their favorite rhyme is sung in toddler time.
In this lovely anthology, Hammill has collected rhymes from
various cultures around the world that will provide listeners with a genuine intercultural experience. Over
77 artists illustrate the rhymes. Hammill included those new to the field alongside
our favorites: Jon Klassen, Polly Dunbar, Nina Crews, Shaun Tan, Helen
Craig, Charlotte Voake, Axel Scheffler, and many more. Although a few of the pictures are recycled, most of the artwork is
original. Eric Carle’s very hungry
spider illustrates two rhymes about spiders.
At early morning the spiders spin/And by and by the flies drop in;/And
when they call, the spiders say,/Take off your things, and stay all day. (American)
Ladybird, ladybird, /Fly away home. /Your house is on fire/And your children
all gone;/All except one/And that’s little Ann/And she has crept under/The
warming pan. (English)
Back matter includes notes about each artist, index of first
lines, and sources.
All in all, this would make a wonderful addition to any library.
