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Alvin Schwartz has taken the arduous task of putting together this incredible collection of poems, riddles, songs, and stories about everything from people to trees to insects. These are poems often told either in everyday situations, or heard recited in playgrounds around the country. They are used to tease, play, and comfort and are either recited, chanted, sung, or told. One example used often by children is �liar, liar, pants on fire,� used when someone is found out in a lie, or simply to jokingly tell them that their story is not credible. This wonderful compilation of poems was put |
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together with the help of the Mr. Schwartz� relatives and friends, and one may find out that a certain saying one thinks is unique, turns out to have been used for years and years. Or perhaps readers will discover that their sayings are in reality told differently somewhere else. In the section titled, �Stories� we come across a poem about the tragedy of the Titanic. In this section, we learn that some of the most memorable events in history have become rhymes used to either jump rope to, or play pat-a-cake to. Another section, dedicated to love and marriage presents poems which children might use to tease each other in the playground. One example of this is the poem that goes, �Sam and Joan sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G...first came love, then came marriage...then came Joan with a baby carriage.� Each section of the book is presented with a short introduction of how these poems came to be and how people use them from day to day.
This book is a must-have for parents as well as teachers. It makes a wonderful addition to any children�s book collection. Children will enjoy the fact that they are familiar with many of the songs and poems found within the book, and will be happy to learn those they do not know. The illustrations are lively and humorous, and although the book is somewhat thick, children will find that because it is poetry, it is easy to read piece by piece. Adults might enjoy learning how many of these poems came to be, and might also enjoy remembering all the sayings, riddles, and poems they may not have thought of in years. This is certainly a great piece of work!
Schwartz, Alvin. 1992. And the green grass grew all around: folk poetry from everyone.
United States: Harper-Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-022758-3. |
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