________________ CM . . . . Volume VII Number 16 . . . . April 13, 2001

Traditional Nursery Rhymes Series.

Heather Collins.

Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2000.
10 pp., board, $4.95.

Subject Heading:
Nursery rhymes, English.

Preschool / Ages 0 - 3.

Review by L.M. Sykes.

**** /4

 

cover

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

ISBN 1-55074-566-2.

   cover

Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

ISBN 1-55074-570-0.
 
cover

Rock-A-Bye Baby.

ISBN 1-55074-572-7.

   cover

Wee Willie Winkie.

ISBN 1-55074-568-9.

image excerpt: (from Wee Willie Winkie).

"Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown,
Rapping on the window,
Peeping through the lock,
Are the children all in bed?
For now it's eight o'clock."

 

image Heather Collins has produced a quality collection of traditional nursery rhymes for the very young reader. Titles in the series include: Rock-A-Bye Baby, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Wee Willie Winkie. The lines to these familiar verses appear in a text box on each page, and Collins' animated illustrations provide the rest of the tale. Each nursery rhyme stars a different stuffed animal as the main character, but the same animal friends appear in all four stories. The board books are 5 pages in length and measure 4x6 inches.

image

      Collins' illustrations are a delight! Her artwork is filled with vivid colours, textures and detailed backgrounds. The animal characters are soft and cuddly in appearance, and young readers are immediately drawn to them. As a result of the illustrations, each rhyme conveys its own mood. (For example, light and humorous for Wee Willie Winkie and peaceful and dreamy for Row, Row, Row Your Boat.) Toddlers will enjoy chanting along to the rhymes and noticing small details in the artwork such as a yawning moon, a tiny rowboat in the river, and a teddy bear peeking out of a bedroom window.

image

      In short, Heather Collins' traditional rhymes are great first books for infants and toddlers. They were tough enough to withstand my 6-month-old's grabbing and banging, but interesting enough to hold my three-year-old's attention. The entire family enjoyed these captivating tales!

Highly Recommended.

Lisa Sykes, who has worked as an early years teacher and teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB, is currently on maternity leave and is enjoying her time at home with her two young children.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - April 13, 2001.

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