Newly Published Books for Preschool Children

Here are some newly published picture books that are good to read to preschool children.

Kite Day: A Bear and Mole Story; written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. (Holiday House, 2012)

With lively, short sentences and ear-pleasing word choices, this is a perfect fit for the attention-challenged preschool audience. With repetition of particular words and phrases, this book will be a hit. The bold colors and mixed media illustrations make this a  good selection for group viewing.Tiny, pale gray Mole is a wonderful foil to the big, brown Bear. The two friends, although visually different, are united by their shared task to construct a yellow kite which soars up, up Up.  Read this to inspire kite making or expose a preschooler to the fun of kite flying.

One Special Day; by Lola M. Schaeffer, illustrated by Jessica Meserve. (Disney-Hyperion, 2012)

A stand out book about welcoming a new sibling. Spencer is a spirited and energetic little boy who is about to take on a few new characteristics, becoming "quiet" and "gentle" as he watches for and then welcomes his parents who return home with a new baby sibling. This book celebrates all the things the older sibling can already do and the welcome addition of a few new roles. The interactive nature of the text makes child involvement easy and fun. The digital oil pastel illustrations are perfectly suited for Spencer's animal imaginings.

Silly Goose's Big Story; written and illustrated by Keiko Kasza. (Putnam, 2012)

Goose is a great storyteller and his buddies Beaver, Procupine and Squirrel love to playact them. But Goose is always the star and inists "They're my stories, so I'm the hero!" When Wolf comes along he catches Goose who makes up a new story about WEM (Wolf-Eating Monster) to get away. Goose is saved  thanks to his three friends who bring Goose's new story to life. Kasza's gouache illustrations of the animals show wonderful animation and expression. Kids will love the outsmarting of the Wolf by Goose and his friends. This is sure to be a hit with young readers and listeners.

Songs for Young Children

Classic songs that every toddler and their parent should know and sing together!
The Wheels on the Bus -- Action song. Do these motions with your toddler!



Old Mac Donald Had a Farm -- a classic

Shake My Sillies Out -- lots of fun for toddlers!

I'm a Litte Teapot

Fingerplays

If a Baby Blew a Bubble

Blow up cheeks          If a baby blew a bubble,

Put finger on chin     What would happen, would you say?

Clap on "burst"         Would the baby bubble burst

                 Blow         Or would the bubble blow away?


Round and Round the Garden
Begin with baby's hand palm side up, fingers apart. This fingerplay also works on the baby's foot.

Trace circles on palm           Round and round the garden
with index finger
                                              Goes the teddy bear.

Begin walking up the arm    One step, two step
using first 2 fingers

Tickle chin                           Tickly under there!



Two Little Apples

Hands in fists, shaking             Two little apples

Extend arms over head            Way up high in the apple tree.
shaking fists
                                                 Two little apples smiling at me!

Pretend to shake tree               I shook that tree, I shook it as hard as I could.

Flutter hands down                 Down came the apples.

Put fists on mouth                   Hmmm, they're good!



Eat an Apple

Bring right hand to mouth                 Eat an apple;

Close right hand in fist                       Save the core.

Bend down touch hand to ground      Plant the seeds

Extend both arms out                         And grow some more!

Out of Print Award Winning Mother Goose Books

These books have all won a Caldecott Honor Award the year afer they each were published. However they are all out of print. You may be able to find copies at your local public library. You can also purchase copies of these books onlie through used book companies.

Sing Mother Goose, Marguerite Torrey, illustrator; music by Opal Wheeler (Dutton) 1945.

Mother Goose, Tasha Tudor, illustrator, (Oxford University Press) 1944.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Robert Lawson, illustrator, text compiled by Helen Dean Fish (Stokes) 1937.

Award Winning Mother Goose Books

The Caldecott Award is given each year by the American Library Association. Awarded  in January of each year, the Caldecott Award is given to books published the previous year. This award is given to certain books that are distinguished in illustrations. The following books on Mother Goose won the Caldecott Honor Award the year after they were published.

Hush! A Thai Lullaby, Holly Meade, ill. Text: Minfong Ho (Melanie Kroupa/Orchard Books), 1996.

Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes, Phillip Reed, illustrator. (Atheneum) 1963.

The House that Jack Built, by Antonio Frasconi (Harcourt) 1958.

Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes, Marguerite deAngeli, illustrator, (Doubleday) 1954.

All the Pretty Little Horses

This is a very sweet lullaby. The author was said to be an African slave who didn't have time to care for her own children because she was caring for her master's children.




Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep, my little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Dapples, and Greys, Pintos and Bays
All the pretty little horses.


Way down yonder, in the meadow,
Poor little baby crying Mama.
Birds and butterflies, flutter round his eyes,
Poor little baby crying Mama.

Douglas Mountain

This is a Raffi song that he sings on his CDs. It makes a wonderful lullaby.The words are very simple. I used to sing it to my son.


Snows are a-falling on Douglas Mountain,
Snows are a-falling so deep.
Snows are a-falling on Douglas Mountain
Putting the bears to sleep,
Putting the bears to sleep.

Trimming the wicks on Douglas Mountain,
Shining my chimney so  bright.
Trimming the wicks on Douglas Mountain,
So God can bring the night,
So God can bring the night.

Golden Slumbers

Golden slumbers, kiss your eyes
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep pretty baby, do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.

Care you know not when you sleep
While over you my watch will keep.
Sleep pretty baby, do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.

Hush Little Baby

A beloved English lullabye. I used to sing it to my son.

Hush little baby don't say a word,
Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird.

If the mockingbird don't sing,
Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa's going to buy you a looking glass.

If that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's going to buy you a billy goat.

If that billy goat don't pull,
Papa's going to buy you a cart and bull.

If that cart and bull turn over,
Papa's going to buy you a dog named Rover.

If that dog named Rover don't bark,
Papa's going to buy you a horse and cart.

If that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest baby in town.

Babies don't keep

This is not a sung lullaby, but rather a well loved poem that coud be read to a child at bedtime.

                Babies Don't Keep
Mother, O Mother, come shake out the cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peek-a-boo
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullaby, rockaby lullaby loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
                                        --Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Good books for Mother Goose rhymes

Here are some of my favorite books for Mother Goose rhymes:

dePaola, Tomie; Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose, NY:G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1985
     Beautifully illustrated with Tomie dePaola's signature style, this collection has over 200 Mother Goose nursery rhymes, including some not so well known. A great first book for Mother Goose. The pictures are very appealing to young children.


Engelbreit, Mary; Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose:One Hundred Best-Loved Verses, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 2005.
     A nice collection of over100 rhymes with bright, kid appealling, illustrations. Classic as well as not so well known rhymes are included. An index of First Lines is included in the back.



Opie, Iona and Peter; New edition, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997.
     The classic book that is the definitive work on nursery rhymes. Contains over 500 rhymes, songs and riddles. Researched, footnoted and annotated. Illustrations are sparse. A scholarly work, not meant to be read to children. You can find any rhyme in this book!

  

Mother Goose Rhymes that are stories

Some rhymes are longer and tell a complete story. This beloved rhyme does well with your child on your lap. You can also read the rhyme from a nicely illustrated book so your child can look at the pictures. 

Three little kittens
They lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, Mother dear,
We sadly fear
Our mittens we have lost.
What! Lost your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow.
No, you shall have no pie.

The three little kittens
They found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
Oh, Mother dear,
See here, see here,
Our mittens we have found.
Put on your mittens,
You silly kittens,
And you shall have some pie.
Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r,
Oh, let us have some pie.

The three little
Put on their mittens
And soon ate up the pie;
Oh, Mother dear,
We greatly fear
Our mittens we have soiled.
What! Soiled your mittens,
You naughty kittens!
Then they began to sigh,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow,
Then they began to sigh.

The three little kittens
They washed their mittens,
And hung them up to dry;
Oh, Mother dear,
Do you not hear,
Our mittens we have washed.
What! Washed your mittens,
Then you're good little kittens,
But I smell a rat close by.
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow,
We smell a rat close by.

I used to really play up the words "What! lost your mittens, you naughty kittens" by saying it very dramatically. Young children find the expression funny.

This next one is very funny showing that humor is part of Mother Goose rhymes. Again, try reading it to your child from a book so he or she can follow along with the pictures and see more of the humor.

Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To get her old dog a bone;
But when she got there
The cupboard was bare
And so the old dog had none.

She went to the baker's
To buy him some bread;
But when she got back
The poor dog was dead.

She went to the undertaker's
To buy him a coffin;
But when she got back
The poor dog was laughing.

She took a clean dish
To get him some tripe;
But when she got back
He was smoking  a pipe.

She went to the fishmonger's
To buy him some fish;
But when she got back
He was licking the dish.

She went to the tavern
For white wine and red;
But when she got back
The dog stood on his head.

She went to the fruiter's
To buy him some fruit;
But when she came back
He was playing the flute.

She went to the tailor's
To buy him a coat;
But when she came back
He was riding a goat.

She went to the hatter's
To buy him a hat;
But when she came back
He was feeding the cat.

She went to the barber's
To buy him a wig;
But when she came back
He was dancing a jig.

She went to the cobbler's
To buy him some shoes;
But when she came back
He was reading the news.

She went to the seamstress
To buy him some linen;
But when she came back
The dog was a-spinning.

She went to the hosier's
To buy him some hose;
But when she came back
He was dressed in his clothes.

The dame made a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, Your servant,
The dog said, Bow-wow.

Some classic Mother Goose rhymes every child should know

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Wasn't that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?

The king was in his counting house,
Counting out his money;
The Queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes,
When along came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.


Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow,
The cow's in the corn.
Where is the boy
Who looks after the sheep?
He's under the haystack
Fast asleep.


Here's another good bouncing rhyme--
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And she shall have music wherever she goes.

Some short rhymes that are good to know:

                I.
Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean,
And so between the two of them,
They licked the platter clean.

               II.
Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
We'll all have tea.

Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
They've all gone away.

               III.
Hey diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such a sport,
And the dish ran away from the spoon.

This one is also a classic song:

Baa, baa, blck seep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
And one for my dame,
One for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

Some good lap-sit Mother Goose rhymes

Use these rhymes with your child sitting on your lap. Bounce the child up and down to the rhythm of the rhyme. You can also lift the baby up in the air, clap, or tickle his toes. A good rhythm is to do each rhyme twice.


Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Use this with your child on your lap, bouncing him/her to the rythm of the rhyme.
Dramatize the words "had a great fall" by pretending your child will fall from your lap.


Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such a sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon!

Another good rhyme to use bouncing with your child on your lap.
When you get to "the little dog laughed," quickly go "ha ha ha" and the young will probably smile.


Pease porrige hot!
Pease porrige cold!
Pease porrige in the pot
Nine days old.

Some like it hot,
Some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot
Nine days old!

This rhyme is also good as a lap rhyme. It is also great as a clapping rhyme, or with a Pat-a-cake motion. In the public library I used a tamborine with this. Add a sound after the end of each rhyming verse to give it more rhythm.


Hickory, dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The moue ran down.
Hickory, dickory dock.

In the public library I added 3 more verses, which aren't really part of this rhyme,  to give it a counting function.

Hickory, dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck two
and away he flew!
Hickory, dickory dock.

Hickory, dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck three
and he did flee!
Hickory, dickory dock.

Hickory, dickory dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck four
and he was out the door!
Hickory, dickory dock.

Why Mother Goose?

Young children love rhyming words and it is often the first thing they notice about a story. Much of the appeal of Mother Goose rhymes lies in the musical quality of the phrases. The rhythm and rhyme of the verses make for a very joyful introduction to language. In fact, Mother Goose is a learning experience. What young children learn when they hear and recite Mother Goose rhymes is the rhythm of the language. That rhythm of the language, when it is mastered at an early age, will help them later when they begin to read. 

Charlotte Huck, children's literature expert, sites a study done on nursrey rhymes which found that their early experience with rhymes develops "phonemic awareness." "Children's ability to manipulate the sounds of words as they sing and chant nursery rhymes is a necessary foundation for understanding relationships between letters and sounds and contributes to their emergent literacy development." (Kiefer,Barbara; Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature, 10th edition, NY:McGraw Hill, p. 114).   

Nursery rhymes also allow young children the opportunity to actively participate and respond. They love to clap hands with "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man," or to be bounced on a parent's knee in "Ride a Cock Horse." Songs such as "London Bridge" or "Ring around the Roses" are circle games that involve an action from the child. Other verses are counting rhymes such as "1, 2, buckle my shoe." What child doesn't enjoy "This little piggy went to market," when the parent has the piggy squeal all the way home, usually to the child's chin or ear.

Another appeal of many Mother Goose rhymes is their ability to tell a story quickly. "Little Miss Muffet" is only six lines. Yet in those six lines there is a story, some action and a conclusion. This could also be said for "Old Mother Hubbard" and "The Old Woman in the Shoe." How quickly things resolve, making these rhymes memorable for the young child.

Children should be exposed to the rhythm and rhyme of Mother Goose. For many children, this is their first introduction to world of literature. In addition, it is a way of parent and child to interactwith each other.