Rhymes, Songs and Lullabies

Lulu Delacre, English Lyrics by Elena Paz, Musical Arrangements by Ana-María Rosado,
Arroz con Leche: Popular Songs and Rimes from Latin America
Scholastic, 1989.
Traditional Spanish rhymes from Mexico, Puerto Rico and Argentina, with English translations, music and background notes.  Beautifully illustrated with plenty of cultural detail to pick out, as well as poetic images like a Mother Wolf and elephants walking on a spider’s web.

David Diaz,
De Colores: Bright with Colors
Marshall Cavendish, 2008.
This well-known song of joy about the colors of the Earth are brought to life through Diaz' exuberant illustrations; and young children will want to sing along, whether in the original Spanish or the English translation. A historical note and a musical score are provided at the end of the book.

Collected by Floella Benjamin, illustrated by Sheila Moxley,
Skip Across the Ocean: Nursery rhymes from around the world
Frances Lincoln, 2007.
Arranged by theme (Lullabies, Action Rhymes, Nature, and Lucky Dip), rhymes from all over the world are brought together in this visual treat. Most are presented in their original language as well as English.

Yoko Imoto,
Best-Loved Children's Songs From Japan
Heian, 2008.
This charmingly illustrated book presents 15 popular Japanese children's songs from the years 1919 to 1949. Presented in both Japanese and English with complete musical notation.

Erin Eitter Kono,
Hula Lullaby
Little, Brown, 2005.
A little girl climbs into her mother's lap while hula dancers dance and musicians play. She gradually falls asleep, lulled by her mother describing the Hawaiian world around them. The gentle rhyming text incorporates Hawaiian language and the warm, rich illustrations offer plenty of cultural references.

Nancy van Laan, illustrated by Holly Meade,
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep: A Lullaby for Little Ones Around the World
Little, Brown and Company, 1995.
A lullaby journey across the world, saying good-night to children and animals in the different countries represented, one from each of the seven continents.  The illustrations show the kinds of beds babies are laid in, as mothers soothe their babies to sleep; and the phrase, “Good night, go to sleep, little one” is incorporated into the text in the language of each country.

Selected, arranged and translated by José-Luis Orozco, illustrated by Elisa Kleven,
De Colores: and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children
Dutton, 1994.
An award-winning selection of songs with musical annotation, from all over Latin America - this is only one of Orozco's superb song books for children. Vibrant illustrations make this a treat for the eyes as well as the ears.

Uzo Unobagha, illustrated by Julia Cairns,
Off to the Sweet Shores of Africa: and Other Talking Drum Rhymes
Chronicle Books, 2000.
An exuberant collection of catchy rhymes that will have young children clapping hands, tapping feet and joining in with delight. Packed with cultural references and beautifully illustrated, this book will indeed transport you to Africa.

Alick Tipoti,
Mura migi kazika: For us little mob
Magabala Books, 2000.
An Australian Aboriginal take on familiar Mother Goose nursery rhymes, complete with glossary and pronunciation guide to the Kala Lagaw Ya language used. A fun little book with catchy rhymes.

Ian Wallace,
The Huron Carol
Groundwood, 2006.
A beautifully illustrated version of the traditional Canadian carol originally written by missionary priest Jean de Brébeuf for the Huron people. A printed melody line at the end provides the words to the first verse in Huron and French, as well as the English used as the book's main text.

Picture Book Stories

Minfong Ho, illustrated by Holly Meade,
Hush! A Thai Lullaby
Orchard Books, 2000.
A mother puts her child to bed then goes and tells all the animals to be quiet because Baby's sleeping - only he's not: the delightful illustrations tell a slightly different story! With animals ranging from a mosquito to an elephant, there are plenty of opportunities for small children to join in.

Satoshi Kitamura,
Igor, the Bird Who Couldn’t Sing
Andersen Press, 2005.
Igor, a little black bird, is delighted when Spring arrives, and he can start singing… but not for long!  No matter how much he tries, he can’t sing in tune – and wherever he goes, he can’t seem to get away from music-making.  Of course, everything turns out more than all right in the end, with some gorgeous pictorial representations of music along the way.

Michael Lacapa,
The Flute Player: An Apache Folktale
Rising Moon, Northland Publishing, 1990.
A beautiful, tragic love story about a flute player whose music is like the wind blowing through the trees.  Simply and engagingly told, with bright, stylised illustrations.

Michelle Lord, illustrated by Shino Arihara,
A Song For Cambodia
Lee & Low Books, 2008.
The true story of Cambodian Arn Chorn-Pond, who, as a boy, survived the Khmer Rouge genocide because he learned to play the khim, a traditional Cambodian musical instrument. Very moving and ultimately inspirational.

Gerald McDermott,
Musicians of the Sun
Simon & Schuster, 1997.
A dramatic embellishment of the Aztec myth of how music came into being. Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the Night, sends Wind to bring the musicians of the Sun to Earth, which in turn brings happiness and color to the world. Glorious illustrations!

Colin McNaughton, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura,
Once Upon an Ordinary School Day
Andersen Press, 2004.
An ordinary boy goes to his ordinary school expecting it to be just another ordinary day - but then his teacher plays rousing music that thunders around the classroom. Via his imagination, the boy is transported to amazing places and experiences. A beautiful story about the power of music to uplift and transform.

Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, illustrated by Aaron Boyd,
Babu’s Song
Lee & Low Books, 2003.
When a tourist offers to buy the musical box his grandfather, Babu, has made for him, Bernardi is sorely tempted: he would be able to buy the brand new football he has spotted in a shop window. Thanks to Babu’s wisdom, the story reaches a satisfying conclusion, though not without some soul-searching along the way. Beautiful illustrations bring the story's Tanzanian setting to life.

Jane Anne Volkmer,
Song of the Chirimia: A Guatemalan Folktale/ La Música de la Chirimia; Folklore Guatemalteco
Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
When Clear Sky's daughter Moonlight loses her smile, he calls together all the suitable men of the kingdom to seek her hand in marriage. However, before Clear Sky will agree to marry, she sets a task for her prospective husband. As he seeks to win her love by playing music as sweet as birdsong, he makes the first chirimia, a Latin American wind instrument. A lovely story with bold illustrations reflecting its Mayan heritage.

Books + CDs

David Bouchard and Shelley Willier, paintings by Jim Poitras, singing and drumming by Northern Cree,
The Drum Calls Softly
Red Deer Press, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2008.
Presented in both English and Cree, the poem evokes the atmosphere of the round dance. Striking illustrations and atmospheric narration and music on the accompanying CD bring the ensemble together into a compelling, multi-sensory experience.

Illustrated by Christopher Corr, sung by Fred Penner,
Whole World
Barefoot Books, 2007.
An environmentally-minded take on a traditional song, readers/listeners/singers are taken around the world on a joyful, colorful journey. Includes ideas for what we can do to help keep the earth happy; and a note on the original version of the song, with printed melody line. Sing along to the CD (it has great sound effects!), either with the recorded singers or karaoke style.

Hazel Edwards, illustrated by Mini Goss, narrated by Antonia Kidman,
Flight of the Bumblebee
New Frontier Publishing, 2009.
A sweet story for young children about a bumblebee who can't fly properly until he follows the rhythm of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee". Neatly put together, with Bumblebee producing "vapor trails" of the musical score (I checked!); and a note explaining that bees perform a dance when they return to the hive to communicate messages.

Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura,
The Carnival of the Animals
Walker Books, 2008.
A book of new poems inspired by Saint-Saëns’ classic children's favorite, all brought together on the accompanying CD. Kitamura's colorful, dynamic illustrations provide extra, often witty links between the poetry and the music.

Matt Ottley,
Requiem for a Beast
Hachette Livre/ Lothian Books, 2008.
Written for a YA and adult audience, this extraordinary book is part picture-book, part graphic novel, part audio. Original music, combining movements from the Latin Requiem with Australian aboriginal song and narrative, adds a layer of meaning to the book's intertwined narrative of a young cattle-herder with unresolved issues in his family's history; and an aborigine elder's account of her experience as one of the "stolen generation". Worthy recipient of the Children's Book Council of Australia's Picture Book of the Year Award, 2008, this is not to be missed.

Pete Seeger, illustrated by Michael Hays,
Abiyoyo
Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Embellishing a background note to an old South-African lullaby, story-teller Pete Seeger invented this now famous story of an ostracised magician and his eukelele-playing son, who save their village from Abiyoyo, a terrible ogre - by singing it to sleep. This book-version has great illustrations and a CD containing glorious recordings of Seeger performing the story in 1956 and, more recently, in 2001.

Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin, illustrated by Glin Dibley,
Don't Laugh At Me
Tricycle Press, 2004.
The anti-bullying message of this now famous song comes across loud and clear here. It works well as a picture-book, with each line given space for reflection alongside its thought-provoking illustration. The whole song is printed with its music at the back; and the accompanying CD is a delight to sing along to.

Non-fiction and Resource Books

Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy, photography by George Ancona,
Mi música/My Music
Scholastic, 2005.
One of the Somos Latinos / We Are Latinos series of books for young children, bringing different aspects of a Latino child's world to life - for children of any heritage. Lots of photos of children playing instruments and enjoying music in their daily lives.

Jackie Chooi-Theng-Lew and Patricia Shehen Cambell,
Games Children Sing: Malaysia: Malay, Chinese, and Tamil-Indian Children's Songs and Lore
Alfred Publishing, 2006.
Part of a fabulous series of resource books for playing and singing music from different cultures, interspersed with background information, language input, traditional stories and recipes.The CD provides a chance to sing along, as well as pronunciation practice and narrations of the stories. Malaysia introduces children to the country and to each of the three main ethnic groups which form its rich cultural tapestry. Other countries represented in this fine series are China, Japan and India, as well as an "Around the World" edition.

Meryl Doney,
Musical Instruments Around the World
Franklin Watts, 2002.
Craft projects to make musical instruments from different parts of the world, with cultural, geographical and historical background. Well laid out and clear.

Posted August 2009