Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young

The book begins by laying things out clearly (Introduction): ". . .most adults forget that long before children become great asking machines, they are great listening machines. . . . The relevance of all this to a collection of poetry is demonstrated by the fact that the first sound a child hears is actually a poem--the rhythmic, rhyming beat-beat-beat of a mother's heart. . . . Unlike the toys we buy our children, poems cannot break."

This is a book of rhymes for younger children, by a whole variety of people. Some of the authors whose verse is used: Rose Fyleman, Evaleen Stein, Rachel Field, Ivy Eastwick, Lilian Moore, Anita Posey, Norah Smaridge, and many others.

Some cute works that struck my fancy. . . Rachel Field:

"Sing a song of picnics,
Bread and butter spread,
Greenery all around about,
And cherries overhead."

A lament from William Cole:

"It's such a shock, I almost screech,
When I find a worm inside my peach!
But then, what really makes me blue
Is to find a worm who's bit in two!"

Or a piece by Gwendolyn Brooks:

"Do you ever look in the looking glass
And see a stranger there?
A child you know and do not know,
Wearing what you wear?"

Anyhow, an affecting little book that parents can read to their kids--and maybe their kids to them, too.

My children all love poems to this day, even enjoying memorizing and reciting them, and I credit it to reading this book to them at such a young age. This is the best collection of funny, classic, fun-to-read poems for young children I have ever encountered, and I've looked at more than a few. A few examples of classic poems are "Halfway Down," by A.A. Milne, "The Wind and the Moon," by George MacDonald, and "The Old Woman," by Beatrix Potter. Most of the poems are short to match the attention span of the intended audience. One of our favorite funny ones is "Toothsome" by Norah Smaridge.
Toothsome
No need to squeeze out half a tube
Of toothpaste, honeybunch-
Unless you plan to use it in
a sandwich for your lunch?

Another great aspect of this book is the illustrations. Marc Brown, of "Arthur" fame, illustrates the book with children and animals with wonderfully expressive faces. Best of all, the majority of the poems have their own illustration. Finally, although I didn't count, I estimate the book has at least 150 poems on 88 pages, so your child is bound to find more than a few favorites.

As a teacher I am always looking for different and creative rhymes, the traditional ones are fine but they get old quickly and children love new challenges. My classroom of first graders adore this book and the rhymes are so simple that they expanded on many of them because they wanted them longer. Any book that makes children say "Oh, that one is too short, can we make it longer?" is a winner in my book. The illustrations are beautiful and the longer rhymes I cut into strips and the children paste them together in our poetry center. Dear wonderful parents, even if you are a hesitant poetry reader, at least read rhymes to your kids, they are short, they are sweet, and makes your child think! Wow! I just made a rhyme.

We got this book out from our library recently and within a week I had ordered a copy for us. My nearly 2 year old demands poems from it all the time (as only 2 year olds can demand!!) and her older brothers have also enjoyed them. The book has so many poems that struck a chord with us; just one small example: With recent cold weather I ended up sharing Dragon Smoke (about day being so cold you can see your own breath) with my oldest son's class at school. I have also suggested that our local pre-school buys a copy for the adult library so that the poems can be shared with the children when relevant themes / moments arise. The pictures are perfect for the poems creating a completely wonderful package. It is just an absolutely superb book and one I will be buying as a present for many other families. I think in a way the title is a bit of a pity, (although completly reasonable), as these poems will last a lot longer than just for the "very Young".

This is the most wonderful book for young children! I bought this for my daughter when she was about two, and we both had the most wonderful time reading it. She is now 13, and this is still one of her most treasured books. Who can resist such poems as "Higglety Pigglety, Pop! The dog has eaten the mop. The pig's in a hurry, and the cat's in a flurry, Higglety pigglety, Pop! Another favorite is the one about Noise, which I read faster and faster until ending with an urgent, "STOP, STOP!". We always buy this book to give as baby gifts and you should too! And remember, "A flea and a fly and a kangaroo, jumped for a prize in a pot of glue...."

Hope this book by Jack Prelutsky never goes out of print. We treasure our old copy of it and refer to it often.
We give this book to our new parent friends who seem likely to read to their childen. The cover of the copy we recently bought from an the store affiliate was damaged in shipment due to inadequate packaging, but it is such a great, indeed an essential, book, that we gave that copy anyway, with our apologies for the damaged cover. Was disappointed in both the store customer service and the vendor's, but these things happen. Life goes on. Tail Feathers from Mother Goose by the Opies is a great companion

Read-aloud rhymes for the very young by Jack Prelutsky
Explains why reading and the mother's voice are so calming to a child. So many very funny
rhymes some from Dr. Seuss and from many others. I've heard some but using other words to rhyme the poem to.
It's so important to read to a child, it's the greatest gift you can give them.

From a preschool teacher (and parent): this is the best anthology of poetry for young children I have ever read. It is full of everything preschoolers love and are drawn to: silliness, playfulness of language, wonder, animals, magic, every day situations, the changing of seasons. It is perfectly age-appropriate, very relatable for the 2-5-year-old crowd, and a superb introduction to poetry.

This book is a family favorite. Our children are 16, 14 and 12. Memories of times reading this book still elicit smiles from them. At night, when they were young, we started at the beginning of the book, picked out favorites and read until we ended with "Good Night, Good Night". Each night it seemed that our "read" got a little longer, because there were more favorites.

When choosing a gift for new parents, this is a must buy!

These are not classic, everyday rhymes. Many of my books have the same old stuff over and over again e.g. Jack and Jill. This book has stuff like "The Dreadful Doings of Jelly Belly" and all sorts of amazing stuff. I read this one on my own, and if dad has time he reads me some of the more complicated ones. I like it. Valerie.

As a children's librarian, I read lots of juvenile literature. This is one of my favorite early poetry books. I bought it for my own child and have given it as a gift to teachers and friends over the years.

While this is a wonderful book, well written and well illustrated, it is a paper book and is not conducive to the very young (as it states) because of their desire to turn pages (and the resulting tears in the paper). My daughter is 13 months old and prefers her board book of nursery rhymes. I hope she will grow into this book as she learns to turn and not tear.