The Rooster Crows : A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles (ISBN 0689711530)

A woodchuck worthy of drafting into the Yankees:
Nostalgia's a funny thing. It clogs the senses, rendering otherwise intelligent reasonable adults into a state of cloying admiration for children's books that have no redeeming characteristics. I suspect that's why people still read/enjoy books like that gawdawful, "Abraham Lincoln" by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, "Betsy Tacy" by Maud Hart Lovelace, and "Prayer For a Child" by Rachel Field. Giving an askance glance to the cover of "The Rooster Crows"... well let's just say that my hopes were not high. It was originally published in 1945 and its cover (at least the edition I was perusing) contained apple-cheeked Campbell Soup logo-type children flouncing and bouncing about. I'm not a particular fan of apple-cheeked youngsters in general, but this initial reaction turned out to be a classic example of why one should never judge a book by its cover. True, the collection does suffer from that 1945 view that the only "Americans" worth putting in a picture book were white and Protestant, but if you overlook this small stupidity you'll find a really nice collection of poems with quite pleasant pictures. An enjoyable way to introduce kids to some basic rhymes that everyone should know. The book's a topsy-turvy collection of those poems all good little children are required to at least have an inkling about. You've got your Yankee Doodle, your Roses Are Red, and your Ring Around the Rosies. On the other hand, more obscure titles do tend to surface. Ever heard of Quaker Quaker How Is Thee? Or better yet, I'm Going to Lady Washington's? The book has an odd attachment to those poems that refer to people during the Revolutionary War. This is probably because they are supposed to be quintessentially "American". Still, you'll not find the Civil War or the War of 1812 much remarked on here. The poems are separated into the following categories: Rhymes and Jingles, Finger Games (with helpful drawings of hands for those who don't know the movements), Rope Skipping Rhymes, Counting-Out Rhymes, Games, and (for reasons left somewhat unclear) Yankee Doodle. Yankee Doodle gets a full three page treatment, rife with battle scenes, our first President on a noble steed, and a nice little chorus for the kiddies. It's odd, but it's there. The illustrations in the books are, as I said, whitey white white. They're also more interesting on closer inspection than you might expect. For example, the poem of How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck is accompanied by a small woodchuck in high waisted pants, suspenders, and a nice button up white shirt. I don't know what mental image I always attached to this poem, but after having seen the picture presented here I know exactly what I'll be seeing from now on. There, in his bloomers, the woodchuck has his arm back and is obviously about to hurl a significant hunk of wood as far as his woodchucky muscles can throw. It's a surprisingly amusing picture, especially since the woodchuck has been drawn (in his body anyway) realistically and has the a look of calm animal concentration on his furry face. Other pictures in the book are all well and good, but this is the one that won my heart. A book that contains a wood hurling forest creature has my admiration and respect any day of the week. This is, by the way, an excellent resource for any teacher, librarian, or parent who wants a go-to source for classic children's poetry. Its poems are just as good today as they have ever been and even the form of the book aids educators who want a book to cover the basics. It's well-written, well-drawn, and ust a surprisingly good collection. A Caldecott winner that has earned its respect.

politics of race:
This book fascinates me because it was challenged by the NAACP in 1945 for its quiet exclusionary racism.

The Rooster Crows:
This book is a collection of American Rhymes and Jingles from all the ages. It was written 1966, but many of the ryhmes in it are still around today. Some examples are How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck, Mary had a Little Lamb, This Little Pig, and Star Light Star Bright. This book is very well illustrated, compared to other books of this time period.

You can always find room for another book of nursery rhymes!:
Especially this one. The artwork is interesting, and not all of the rhymes are going to be familiar to you and your child. Anybody looking for another rhyme to bounce a kid to or to recite or sing to shut them up, you can't spend a better $10 than on this book.

Beautiful illustrations, classic rhymes:
This collection takes me back to my childhood before color TV, special effects, or the Internet where reading a book meant time with my mother, and time to slowly pour over the pictures and imagine the world that was being depicted. As a child,I went back to re-explore these pages many times. With a new grandson due in a few months, I knew that this would be perfect material for times spent together. Our children now days are so sophisticated that most don't even know the old Nursery Rhymes. As a parent and a teacher, I find this a sad loss to our culture. This book will help keep nursery rhymes and Mother Goose alive in our family.