Product Description

"Schoolyard rhymes are catchy and fun. They are easy to remember. In fact, they stick in the mind like bubble gum to a shoe." writes Judy Sierra in her introduction to this lively collection of traditional playground chants. Included are more than 50 verses ranging from the familiar jump rope rhyme about the mythical lady with the alligator purse to less familiar counting-out ones, from funny rhymes for ball-bouncing and hand-clapping games to "Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire" and other choice insults of children. Melissa Sweet includes bright, colorful fabric swatches in her watercolor-and-pencil collages to perfectly capture the spirit of these funky, street-smart verses that children love to recite and chant.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #234490 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-12
• Released on: 2005-07-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 5–Sierra has selected some of the funniest and most memorable schoolyard rhymes available in this appealing collection, including such old favorites as Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, Lady with the Alligator Purse, and Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire. Kids will also howl over other offerings that may be new to this generation: Ladies and jellybeans, hoboes and tramps,/Cross-eyed mosquitoes and bow-legged ants and Tarzan, Tarzan, through the air,/Tarzan lost his underwear. The rhythms and nonsense rhymes are irresistible, compelling memorization and participation in the fun. Tried-and- true wordplays will tickle young readers, such as the one that begins Splickety-splat,/I saw a dead rat,/and I 1 it./Say you 2 it and eventually leads to the delightfully disgusting conclusion, I 8 it. Sweet's animated watercolor-and-collage illustrations fill the pages with expressive faces, thin lines of verse shaped into jump ropes and borders, and hilarious interpretive scenes from the rhymes. This is a definite winner, as it will be enormously popular with children.–Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
K-Gr. 3. Sierra has selected 50 traditional playground chants and rhymes for inclusion in this illustrated collection. Selections range from the familiar ("Fudge, fudge tell the judge, / Mama's got a newborn baby") to the strange ("Ladies and gentlemen, / Take my advice, / Pull down your pants / And slide on the ice") to the rude ("BURP! Pardon me for being so rude. / It wasn't me, it was my food!"). Sweet's comical, mixed-media art adds to the wackiness of the rhymes, with jump ropes commanding a prominent position, whether used by children or pickles or bears. Text is frequently incorporated into the pictures; verses are printed on ropes and on the stripes of flags. A great choice for back-to-school displays. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Good book
Nice book. Has lots of rhymes ... some I knew, some I didn't ... some had more lines than I remember... This book just has the words to the rhymes, so if you are looking for the rhythms or the hand clapping sequence (as I was) this isn't the book for you.

Back down memory lane!
What a wonderful blast from the page! I so enjoyed reacquainting myself with many of the childhood rhymes from my double dutching days. This will be a great gift for me to share with my nieces as they too will be introduced to such famous childhood rhymes. Even the illustrations made the rhymes stand out fully engaging one to try them out on the playground.

Okay for schoolyard rhymes
This book was not quite what we were hoping for. Pictures are okay but we wanted more direction in how to do the rhymes.