Archive for November 2009
Peter Yarrow has begun publishing The Peter Yarrow Songbook, so far a collection of three books all illustrated by Terry Widener: Favorite Folk Songs, Sleepytime Songs, and Let’s Sing Together. Publishing these songs in the form of picture books allows a convenient vehicle for introducing and enjoying these songs with, not just young ones, but anybody who loves music.
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Favorite Folk Songs
The Peter Yarrow Songbook
Illustrated by Terry Widener
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Sleepytime Songs
The Peter Yarrow Songbook
Illustrated by Terry Widener
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Let’s Sing Together
The Peter Yarrow Songbook
Illustrated by Terry Widener
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Songs For Little Folks
The Peter Yarrow Songbook
Illustrated by Terry Widener
In each introduction, he gives voice to the value of singing songs and sharing them with children.
In “Favorite Folk Songs,” he explains, “Singing these songs today allows us to experience the history and spirit of times past and also makes us feel closer to one another.”
In “Sleepytime Songs,” a book of lullabies, he writes, “In the sound of your voice they will hear your hopes, your dreams, and sense the depth of your love for them…They will never forget that you have cared enough to put the ordinary concerns of life aside to spend this special time with them.”
In “Let’s Sing Together” he explains that his first job was at a summer camp for sick children and that “When we sang together, magically, a sense of closeness emerged, as fear, teasing , and concern about the children’s illnesses melted away.”
In the “About the Author” section of each book is this thought from Mr. Yarrow, answering what would he most like to leave behind, “I would give them these songs that have helped me come to realized what, for me, is really important in life – people, love, work, and service to each other. I believe that all children can be helped to discover what’s important to them in their lives, through these songs. It’s magic, in a way, but it seems to happen every time!”
I have not yet learned what it is exactly, but something about singing lifts us up out of ourselves. When the singing begins, something special happens. Our hearts open up, our spirits lift, and the quality of our lives improves.
I look forward to celebrating and exploring with you the reasons why the simple act of singing songs (or being sung to) is such a joyous, important and meaningful activity.
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Peter Yarrow’s name is also associated with some wonderful books published by Sterling Publishing, Imagine Publishing and others, including:
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Day is Done
Words and Music by Peter Yarrow
Illustration by Melissa Sweet
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Dinosaur Pet
Inspired by the Music and Lyrics of the Song “Calendar Girl” by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Children’s Lyrics by Marc Sedaka
Illustrated by Tim Bowers
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Don’t Laugh at Me
Words and Music by Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin
Afterword by Peter Yarrow
Illustrated by Glin Dibley
This book features printed music and a sing-along CD.
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I’m in Love with a Big Blue Frog
Words and Music by Leslie Braunstein
Performed by Peter Paul & Mary
Illustrated by Joshua S. Brunet
ISBN 978-1-936140-37-4
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It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
Words and Music by Peter Paul and Mary
Illustrated by Christine Davenier
This book features a recording of Peter Paul & Mary’s performance of the song.
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The Marvelous Toy
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Illustrated by Steve Cox
(This book is a far and away favorite with the Kindergarten set. It comes with a wonderful CD that has Tom Paxton singing on one track with a separate instrumental track, including a clearly played melody line, so you can sing solo…a wonderful edition!)
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The Night Before Christmas
Poem by Clement C. Moore
Performed by Peter, Paul and Mary
Solo Performance of Music Setting by Noel PAUL Stookey
Music by Noel Paul Stookey
Illustrated by Eric Puybaret
(This book comes packaged with a CD recording of Noel Paul Stookey’s performance of “Night Before Christmas” as well as a reading by Mary Travers, and Peter, Paul and Mary’s recording of “A’Soalin”)
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Over the Rainbow
Words and Music by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Illustrated by Eric Puybaret
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Puff and the Incredible Mr. Nobody
(Based on the Song by Peter Yarrow and Leonard Lipton)
Story by Romeo Muller
Words and Music by Peter Yarrow
Illustrations by Fred Wolf and Chuck Swenson (Based on the TV Special)
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Puff the Magic Dragon
Words and Music by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton
Illustrated by Eric Puybaret
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Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Words by Jack Norworth
Music by Albert Von Tilzer
Illustrated by Amiko Hirao
Performed by Carly Simon
This edition gets a GOLD STAR for including the FULL song (both verses and chorus) and a fabulous recording of Carly Simon and her deligthful arrangement she made for Ken Burn’s documentary Baseball.
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Waking Up is Hard to Do
Music and Lyrics by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield
Children’s Lyrics by Neil Sedaka
Illustrated by Daniel Miyares
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When You Wish Upon a Star
Music by Ned Washington
Words by Leigh Harlaine
Illustrated by Eric Puybaret
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Related Posts
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Peter Yarrow and “The Folk Process”
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/the-folk-process/
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Two Books Participating in “The Folk Process”
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/two-books-participating-in-the-folk-process/
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ILLUSTRATED COLLECTIONS OF CHILDREN’S SONGS WITH MUSIC
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/illustrated-collections-of-childrens-songs-with-music/
“Good King Wenceslas” A Singable Book, a Winter Song and a Mini-Play (including Lyrics, Song History, and Sing Along Tracks)
Posted on: November 27, 2009
- In: Book Review by ELEG | Case for Singable Books | Heartfelt Musings | Lyrics | Power of Music | SBWE Sing-Along Program for Classrooms and Families | Sing Along Tracks | Sing Books with Emily Sing-Along Materials | Singable Book Title | Singable Picture Book Video | Song History | SPB List for Special Occasion | Vocal Tracks
- Leave a Comment
When I was a kid, Christmas music was ALWAYS playing at Christmastime, but the experience of the carols and songs seemed to reside way back in the subconscious. Until recently when I started to give the seasonal songs serious thought, I was always just vaguely aware of them, enjoying my favorite albums, singing the first couple of lines for each tune and humming the rest as I went about my holiday activities.
“Good King Wenceslas,” with its hardy beat and medieval flavor, is one of my favorites…But I could never have sung more than the first verse. It wasn’t until I spied the carol as an illustrated children’s book, that I really read the words and discovered that the song has a wonderful message for everybody, that the song is actually a mini-play, and that it is a winter song, not just for the holidays.
The first Singable Picture Book that I found for this carol is by Christopher Manson who has become one of my favorite illustrators. His pictures are woodcuts hand painted in rich colors and are extensively researched which give the pictures not just beauty but an authenticity that makes the book deeply satisfying.
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Good King Wenceslas
Traditional Tune (Tempus adest floridum)
Words by John Mason Neale
Illustrated by Christopher Manson
Completing the experience are paragraphs of historical information about the lyricist John Mason Neale (1818-1866) and Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia (who lived in the 10th c.) and sheet music.
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Good King Wenceslas
Traditional Tune (Tempus adest floridum)
Words by John M. Neale
Illustrated by Tim Ladwig
(This book has sheet music in the back and a page of historical information about the song)
I love this version for its sweeping, dramatic pictures. You get a sense of the King and Page’s struggle, trudging through wind and snow, to deliver help for the Poor Man who gathered twigs for a fire. You can feel the cold and determined effort. I also like how this book’s first pages create a context for the song and wrap it up with a sweet illustrated conclusion. This book contains sheet music and a brief but informative page about the song’s history.
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Good King Wenceslas
Traditional Tune (Tempus adest floridum)
Words by John M. Neale
Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
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Geraldine McCaughrean has written the story of the song in the majestic book “Wenceslas,” illustrated with luminous gold dabbed paintings by Christian Birmingham. No book I’ve seen yet has so captured Wenceslas as a King, strong and good. The lyrics to the song are printed in the book along with a brief history of the song and the man.
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Addendum 12/5/2012
I found this at a bookstore just yesterday. The story of the song, beautifully illustrated, with factual information and a DVD performance by Jane Seymour (and a cast of many, many, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra)…and the song is in there, too:
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Good King Wenceslas (Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
(This book comes packaged with Jane Seymour’s performance on DVD)
Written for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir by DAvid T. Warner
Original Song Lyrics by John Mason Neale
Original Song Sung to Traditional Tune (Tempus adest floridum)
Illustrated by Omar Rayyan
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A YouTube preview of the DVD, here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBGVoxKIUNU
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John Mason Neale, a scholar, writer and clergyman, originally published the words in 1853. He set the words to an old tune “Tempus adest floridum,” a carol of springtime also known as “The Flower Carol.” This carol (its latin words and music) was originally published in a book of Swedish Carols in 1582, but the tune is probably much older.
A Wikipedia article about “Piae Cantiones,” the collection of carold in which “Flower Carol” was originally published in 1582, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piae_Cantiones
For a post (including historical information about the song and a book I made for singing-along with the “Flower Carol,” illustrated with artwork by Giuseppe Arcimboldo who painted in the time that Tempus adest floridum was first published) about the “Flower Carol” and Temus adest Floridum, click here:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/the-flower-carol-illustrate-and-sing-with-arcimboldos-spring-summer-and-other-fancy-finery/
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Vocabulary
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King Wenceslas
Wenceslas was the Duke of Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. He was a Christian in a time and place that was mostly pagan. He was known for his generosity to the poor.
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Feast of Stephen
The Feast of Stephen is celebrated the day after Christmas. Stephen is considered the first Deacon of the Catholic Church. One role for a deacon is to care for the poor, so the purpose of the day is to give food, money and supplies to the needy. In many parts of the world, it is also called “Boxing Day.” In the song, when King Wenceslas looks out, he sees someone in need on the Feast of St. Stephen, so he sets out to do what he can to help.
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St. Agnes Fountain
The song also mentions “St. Agnes’ Fountain.” St. Agnes of Bohemia lived in the 13th century. She was born to royalty, but spent her life not in the luxury of her station, but working to help others.
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The text of John Mason Neale’s song is a little play. The parts can actually be played out or sung by different people in a group. Children love it if grown-ups dress the parts and participate in the action. The characters in the carol are the Narrator, Good King Wenceslas, the Page, and the Poor Man (but the poor man is only mentioned, he doesn’t speak).
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GOOD KING WENCESLAS
Traditional Tune (Tempus adest floridum)
Words by John M. Neale
(Narrator)
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shown the moon that night,
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
Gathering winter fuel.
(King)
Hither, page, and stand by me.
If thou know it telling:
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?
(Page)
Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes fountain.
(King)
Bring me flesh, and bring me wine.
Bring me pine logs hither.
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear them thither.
(Narrator)
Page and monarch, forth they went,
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
And the bitter weather.
(Page)
Sire, the night is darker now,
And the wind blows stronger.
Fails my heart, I know not how.
I can go no longer.
(King)
Mark my footsteps my good page,
Tread thou in them boldly:
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.
(Narrator)
In his master’s step he trod,
Where the snow lay dented.
Heat was in the very sod
Which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
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I like to point out to the kids that the Poor Man is gathering logs for a fire to keep his home warm, that the King wants to give the Poor Man meat, wine and firewood, and that when the Page is trodding through the snow behind the King, the Page complains of getting so tired and cold. The King tells the Page that to walks in his footsteps. The Page does so, feels the warmth from the King, and is able to carry on.
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For singing along, if you don’t want to sing this one a-capella, I suggest track 3 from “Classical Christmas” released by Allegro in 2004. The key is comfortable for singing. The pace is a little quick for turning the pages, but it can certainly be done.
Preview the song, here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SCFNMK/ref=dm_dp_trk3?ie=UTF8&qid=1288295781&sr=301-1
Another instrumental, totally different in style with an “Um-pah” tuba beat, is from The Trail Band, “And Old Fashioned Christmas” (Track 3). This whole album is my current favorite (as of writing 12/25/2009) to have playing while tinkering around my kitchen. It’s joyous and fun.
Preview the song here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QKXWWW/ref=dm_dp_trk3?ie=UTF8&qid=1288295682&sr=8-1
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I like this YouTube for singing-along
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVob4l5m4Ps
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An majestic instrumental by Percy Faith orchestra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_6lf6Z_qKM
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An interesting Wikipedia article about “Good King Wenceslas” (and “Flower Carol”) here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_King_Wenceslas
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A Pinterest.com page dedicated to Good King Wenceslas:
http://pinterest.com/revjoelle/wenceslas/
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FLOWER CAROL
“Tempus adest floridum”
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated with Art by Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Book Assembled by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus
To view or print a copy of the BOOKLET, click here:
flower carol arcimboldo
To view or print a copy of the ONE PAGER, click here:
flower carol arcimboldo one pager
This item is for classroom, home, or library use only.
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A page for the Sing Books with Emily SINGABLE ADVENT CALENDAR
GOOD KING WENCESLAS
I love this song which was written to the tune of an ancient flower carol and can also function as a short play with 3 characters. Once you unravel who is saying what, and what is happening, this becomes a wonderful fable, too, fitted lovingly at the end with a satisfying, universal and timely moral.
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Good King Wenceslas
Traditional Tune (Tempus adest floridum)
Words by John M. Neale
To view or print the SBWE Singable Advent Calendar sheet for “Good King Wenceslas” click here:
SBWE Advent Calendar Good King Wenceslas
This item is for home use only.
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Addendum, 12/26/2012
I really do so love Good King Wenceslas, the song, its story and its origins. Today is the Feast of St. Stephens. We can celebrate by singing and doing something good. It also gives us a chance to peek into spring on this cold, snowy day, since the song’s tune was originally written for a carol praising the flowers of spring…
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RELATED POSTS:
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Good King Wenceslas Looked Out on the Feast of Stephen…that’s today!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/good-king-wenceslas-looked-out-on-the-feast-of-stephen-thats-today/
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THE FLOWER CAROL (tempus adest floridum), A SINGABLE PICTURE BOOK
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/the-flower-carol-tempus-adest-floridum-a-singable-picture-book/
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CHRISTMAS
A Collection of Singable Picture Books that celebrate CHRISTMAS!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/singable-picture-books-for-christmas/
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EDUCATIONAL CONTENT
A list of SPBs with fun and sneakily educational content. The kids won’t even know they’re learning!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/singable-picture-books-with-sneaky-educational-content/
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SUNDAY SCHOOL SONGS
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/sunday-school-songs-in-singable-picture-books/
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WINTER
Singable Picture Books for Winter
Some of these are sung at Christmastime, but this is a list of songs about Winter that you can sing all season long!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/singable-picture-books-for-winter/
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SING BOOKS WITH EMILY SINGABLE ADVENT CALENDAR
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/the-sing-books-with-emily-singable-advent-calendar/
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GOOD KING WENCESLAS, A SINGABLE PICTURE BOOK
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/good-king-wenceslas-a-singable-book-a-winter-song-and-a-mini-play-with-a-message-inluding-lyrics-song-history-and-sing-along-tracks/
Recently, Diane Rehm (radio talk show host on NPR, my local station is WAMU) conducted an excellent interview with Robert Darnton about his new book “The Case for Books.” Darnton, Librarian at Harvard, has done extensive studies on the history of books (or, as he said in french “L’histoire du livre”) and has written this book to discuss the importance of accepting the changes, but not changing everything.
The digital era and accessibility of information is altering the way we read and the formats in which we acquire reading materials. All of this is going to take come getting used to, but most of these advances are good.
The Children’s Book, however, is a different story. I have strong emotional memory of my grandmother reading to me…Charlotte’s Web, Ferdinand the Bull, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and so many others. The experience of sitting in comfort, loved and cared for, while a beloved adult reads (or SINGS!) a picture book or classic story is an enchanting and formative experience for a child. You can’t make an electronic file out of that!
I have discovered, through hundreds of gatherings singing to kids, that each singable book is a treasure. The physical book represents the experience of sharing and imagination. The book itself becomes a memory…the pages, the pictures, the smell, the story, words and music. And, like a talisman, the book absorbs the joy and love of each sharing and develops a shimmer of magic.
I holler out praises for the Children’s Book. I hope that people will forever hold BOOKS, gather up children, and share the wonderful experience of reading and singing stories with pictures.
Photo by Matt Howe
I am thankful for Singable Books and friends to share them with! Please come sing along with me at Aladdin’s Lamp Bookstore on Wednesday, November 25 at 11am.
Let’s enjoy some delicious holiday favorites like “Over the River,” “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a PIE,” and “Simple Gifts.”
“SING BOOKS WITH EMILY”
AT ALADDIN’S LAMP BOOKSTORE
Wednesday, November 25 at 11am
Emily Leatha Everson SINGS picture books made from your favorite songs (or songs sure to become favorites) in a thirty minute program of surprising artistic and musical variety from the folksy “Good King Wenceslas” and the funny “Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name” to the fantastic “Marvelous Toy.” The joys of illustration, reading, and singing are sure to delight children and adults of any age.
Upcoming Dates:
Saturday, December 26, 11am
Wednesday, December 30, 11am
Aladdin’s Lamp Bookstore
Lee Harrison Shopping Center, Lower Level Shops
2499 North Harrison Street, Suite 10
Arlington VA 22207
703.241.8281
aladlamp@speakeasy.org
The mission of SING BOOKS WITH EMILY is to share the simple pleasure of singing a song and telling a story, combining the magical wonders of music, text and illustration in picture song books. In achieving this mission, SING BOOKS WITH EMILY supports the arts and emergent literacy; inspires imagination and love for words, stories and music; and secures the blessings of these words, stories and music for generations to come.
For more information, please post a comment to this blog.
Please spread the word!
Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus
You might also know me as “Mrs. G” or “Mo’s Mom” or “Weezie’s Mom.”
Whatever you call me, I hope you come sing with me soon!
youtube.com/user/emleatha
“Over the River and Through the Wood” A Singable Book, Lyrics, History and Sing Along Tracks
Posted on: November 20, 2009
“Over the River and Through the Wood ” is the classic Thanksgiving song. It is too bad that Thanksgiving has not inspired more! But we can have lots of fun singing this one.
This poem can be found in a number of illustrated books and poetry compilations for children.
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Over the River and Through the Wood
Traditional Tune
Poem by Lydia Maria Child
Illustrated by Matt Tavares
See a YouTube about Matt Tavares’ book, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YjFHBi2-os
Post for this special illustration:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/a-new-ride-over-the-river/
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Over the River and Through the Wood
Traditional Tune
Poem By Lydia Maria Child
Illustrated by Christopher Manson
I love the woodcut illustrations in Christopher Manson’s outing, published in 1993. This volume also includes an informative “Note About the Text.” The colors are rich and give fanciful representation to an idealized 19th century village Thanksgiving. In one two-page spread, children ice skate on a frozen stream. In another, the dapple-gray horse pulls the red sleigh through a covered bridge. This version, however does not include the entire poem.
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Over the River and Through the Wood
Traditional Tune
Poem By Lydia Maria Child
Illustrated by Brinton Turkle
A book illustrated by Brinton Turkle (1974) has a fuller representation of the poem, with stanzas that I have not found anyplace else. These pencil sketches and watercolors are realistic and pretty. Although this book is out of print, you can find it at used book sellers online.
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Over the River and Through the Wood
Traditional Tune
Poem By Lydia Maria Child
Illustrated by David Catrow
I spied an illustration by David Catrow, who is a master of illustrating humorous song parodies. It looks like a family trying to make it through holiday traffic, in a car that is packed to the rivets.
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Childcraft, Volume 1, The Poems of Early Childhood (1954)
Published by Field Enterprises Educational Corporation
Edited by J. Morris Jones
Words and Music by Various Artists
Illustrated by Various Artists
(This amazingly wonderful poetry compilation, Volume 1 of 15 Volumes of the Childcraft set, is filled with poetry that can be sung. The illustrations now appear wonderfully vintage, by numerous artists. If you can find a copy of this book, you will not be disappointed in its contents)
“Thanksgiving Day” (AKA “Over the River and Through the Wood“), written by Lydia Maria Child and sung to a traditional tune is printed and illustrated on p. 142
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An Extra Special Outing…
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Over the River and Through the Wood
Traditional Tune
Poem by Lydia Maria Child
Illustrated by Matt Tavares
Matt Tavares has created a fantastic version of the song “Over the River and Through the Wood.” The pictures of the snowy 19th century New England town and landscape are beautiful, setting the blues and grays of snow and horse with the vivid reds of the sleigh and brick houses. He’s livened these lyric illustrations also with a story of a dog sometimes teasing and sometimes chasing after the sleigh holding in his teeth a boy’s hat that had flown off in the wind.
When I first saw the book, I didn’t buy it, put off by the book’s subtitle, “The New England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day.” I wondered why the illustrator would make it a song for a boy, girls can enjoy it, too! But, turns out, this is Lydia Maria Child’s own subtitle for her poem. I hope girls won’t thing this book can’t be for them, too…it certainly can be! It’s a song and book everyone can enjoy.
Besides the great pictures, this book gets special accolades from me for illustrating the entire poem (not just a few select verses). The whole poem is here and it can all be sung to the familiar tune we all know…though, with some verses, you’ve got to learn the rhythms to fit the words.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YjFHBi2-os
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When singing this song, some of the verses can be tricky, because you have to alter the rhythm a little to fit in the words. After a little practice, you’ll get it.
This song was originally written as a poem by Lydia Maria Child in the 1840′s and seems to have been set to this jolly traditional tune later in the 19th century.
Lydia Maria Child
Read an informative biography of Lydia Maria Child here: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/childlydiamaria/a/lydiamariachild.htm
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Below are the poem’s original 12 verses. Most illustrated versions of the poem, pick and choose from these, but do not include the entire original. I found the complete poem online at: http://poetry.about.com/library/weekly/blchildthanksgiving.htm:
OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD
Poem by Lydia Maria Child
Over the river, and through the wood,
To Grandfather’s house we go;
The horse knows the way,
To carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river, and through the wood,
To Grandfather’s house away!
We would not stop
For doll or top, For it is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river, and through the wood,
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes,
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river, and through the wood,
With a clear blue winter sky,
The dogs do bark,
And children hark,
As we go jingling by.
Over the river, and through the wood,
To have a first-rate play -
Hear the bells ring,
“Ting a ling ding!”
Hurray for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river, and through the wood,
No matter for winds that blow
Or if we get
The sleigh upset
Into a bank of snow.
Over the river, and through the wood,
To see little John and Ann;
We will kiss them all,
And play snowball,
And stay as long as we can.
Over the river, and through the wood,
Trot fast my dapple grey!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting-hound,
For ’tis Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river, and through the wood,
And straight through the barnyard gate;
We seem to go
Extremely slow,
It is so hard to wait!
Over the river, and through the wood -
Old Jowler hears our bells;
He shakes his pow,
With a loud bow-wow,
And thus the news he tells.
Over the river, and through the wood,
When Grandmother sees us come,
She will say, “O, dear,
The children are here,
Bring pie for everyone.”
Over the river, and through the wood,
Now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
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For singing along with an instrumental track (although this is another traditional tune which is nicely sung a capella), I suggest track 9 on Smoky Mountain Band’s “Christmas in the Smoky Mountains,” which you can find on i-tunes. The track is played exactly to sing the full 12 verses of the poem.
Preview the song, here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QM8HCU/ref=dm_dp_trk9?ie=UTF8&qid=1288293849&sr=8-1
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A page for the Sing Books with Emily SINGABLE ADVENT CALENDAR
OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD:
I have found this oldie but goodie on a few Christmas albums, so I thought we could enjoy singing it once again (after Thanksgiving) for Advent Holiday enjoyment!
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Over the River and Through the Wood
Traditional Tune
Poem by Lydia Maria Child
To view or print the SBWE Singable Advent Calendar sheet for “Over the River and Through the Wood,” click here:
SBWE Advent Calendar Over the River (Christmas)
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Related Posts
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OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD, A SINGABLE PICTURE BOOK
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/over-the-river-and-through-the-wood-a-singable-book-lyrics-history-and-sing-along-tracks/
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POETRY SINGABLE POETRY IN COMPILATIONS
An list of singable poems from compilations of poetry for children
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/singable-poetry-a-list-of-poems-that-can-be-sung-from-illustrated-compilations-of-poetry-and-singable-picture-books/
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POETRY, SINGABLE POETRY IN INDIVIDUALLY ILLUSTRATED SINGABLE PICTURE BOOKS
A list of individually illustrated poems that have been set to music and can be sung
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/poems-individually-illustrated-spb/
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EDUCATIONAL CONTENT
A list of SPBs with fun and sneakily educational content. The kids won’t even know they’re learning!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/singable-picture-books-with-sneaky-educational-content/
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WINTER
Singable Picture Books for Winter
Some of these are sung at Christmastime, but this is a list of songs about Winter that you can sing all season long!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/singable-picture-books-for-winter/
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SING BOOKS WITH EMILY SINGABLE ADVENT CALENDAR
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/the-sing-books-with-emily-singable-advent-calendar/
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CHRISTMAS
A Collection of Singable Picture Books that celebrate CHRISTMAS!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/singable-picture-books-for-christmas/
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THANKSGIVING
A Song List to Help Us Celebrate Thanksgiving!
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/thank-heavens-singable-picture-books-for-thanksgiving/
As a mom of young children and a singer, I began to discover illustrated children’s books based on the text of songs. Instead of reading the text of the books to my kids, I sang the words. The kids loved the words, music and pictures and soon they sang along!
My collection of books has grown and now I sing those books at pre-schools, elementary schools, independent local bookstores, and to anyone who will listen! I’m looking forward to sharing my discovories with you so that you can sing along, too.
Songs are a “common currency” among people. Steeped in memories, we know, love, and can enjoy the songs together.
Please join me frequently to celebrate the joys of words, music and illustration.
