Archive for July 2010
Many thanks to Librarians Rachel and Patricia at Arlington County Central Public Library and for making everyone feel so welcome. We had a large and spirited crowd! I was overjoyed especially with everyone who joined in to sing-along. What a lovely round we sang of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”
Patricia made a groovy video for YouTube!
You can find a blog post about upcoming gatherings, here:
http://fromtotstotweens.blogspot.com/2010/07/preschoolers-sing-books-with-emily.html
We sang our way through a fabulous stack of Singable Picture Books, including:
- ABC’s (Traditional Words and Tune, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus)
- ZYX’s (Traditional Tune, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus) (The children broke out into this song and sang it all by themselves. Wonderful!) (Sing this traditional tune long with me at: http://www.myspace.com/singbookswithemily)
- “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in Nursery Rhymes (Priddy Books), Illustrated by Louise Shrigley, Published byPriddy Books)
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat (Traditional Words and Tune, Words Adapted by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by Sir John Tenniel, From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)
- A-You’re Adorable (Words and Music by Buddy Kaye, Fred Wise, and Sidney Lippman, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus)
- I Love you A Bushel and a Peck (Words and Music by Frank Loesser, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells)
- “The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top” (Words by Oscar Hammerstein II, Music by Richard Rogers, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Published in “Getting to Know You! Rogers and Hammerstein Favorites“)
- “Dites-Moi” (in French and English!) (Words by Oscar Hammerstein II, Music by Richard Rogers, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Published in “Getting to Know You! Rogers and Hammerstein Favorites“)
- “Frere Jacques“ (in French and English!) (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Lullabies, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- Snuggle Puppy (Words by Sandra Boynton, Music by Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford, Illustrated by Sandra Boynton)
- “Do You Know the Muffin Man” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Pop Goes the Weasel” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “London Bridge Is Falling Down” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck) (A few of the grown-ups in the room kindly joined in with me to sing this as a round! It was beautiful!!)
- “Itsy Bitxy Spider” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)(We also sang the lovely second verse to this as written by Raffi!)
- “Yankee Doodle” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Skip to My Lou” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “The Bear Went Over the Mountain” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Three Blind Mice” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- Frosty the Snowman (Words and Music by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey)
- Knick Knack Paddy Whack (Traditional words and tune, Musical arrangement by Mark Collins, Illustrated by Christiane Engel)
- You’re a Grand Old Flag (Words and music by George M. Cohan, Illustrated by Warren Kimble)
- “The Swing” (Words by Robert Louis Stevenson, Traditional Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Poems, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
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The Swing
Poem by Robert Lewis Stevenson
Traditional Tune
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Originally Published in A Child’s Garden of Verses
ISBN 978-1897476482
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The Swing
Poem by Robert Lewis Stevenson
Traditional Tune
Illustrated by Esther Friend, p. 132 of Childcraft, Volume 1, The Poems of Early Childhood (1954)
Originally Published in A Child’s Garden of Verses
To view or print this page, click here:
SWING RLS childcraft Friend ELEG type
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Book trailer for Julie Morstad’s illustration of “The Swing”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUaJhfX1Lk8
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The barn swing illustration from “Charlotte’s Web,” by Garth Williams
I was reading “Charlotte’s Web” to my daughter this morning (7/29/2010 – she was eating a soy ice-cream-sunday with nuts she cracked open herself, as she is partial to freshly cracked pecans). “Charlotte’s Web” is one of my very favorite books. I love the book first because my grandmother read it to me when I was little. I called my grandmother ”Penny,” her name was Grace Evangelyn Morgan Everson. She was a second grade teacher in Indianapolis, IN for more than 30 years. Besides my sentimental attachment to the book, I have found so much wonder in it. Though the book seems simple at first, every time I read it, new ideas, images and sweet thoughts emerge.
I might have glossed over the passage about Zuckerman’s swing before,
Mr. Zuckerman had the best swing in the county. It was a single long piece of heavy rope tied to the beam over the north doorway. At the bottom end of the rope was a fat knot to sit on. It was arranged so that you could swing without being pushed. you climbed a ladder to the hayloft. Then, holding the rope, you stood at the edge and looked down, and were scared and dizzy. Then you straddled the knot, so that it acted as a seat. Then you got up all your nerve, took a deep breath, and jumped. For a second you seemed to be falling to the barn floor far below, but then suddenly the rope would begin to catch you and you would sail through the barn door going a mile a minute, with the wind whistling in your eyes and ears and hair. Then you would zoom upward into the sky, and look up at the clouds, and the rope would twist and you would twist and turn with the rope. Then you would drop down, down, down, out of the sky and come sailing back into the barn almost into the hayloft, then sail out again (not quite so far this time), then in again (not quite so high), then out again, then in again, then out, then in; and then you’d jump off and fall down and let somebody else try it.
(Excerpt from “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White)
Today I realized that this story goes sweetly with “The Swing” a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson’s “A Child’s Garden of Verses,” which can be sung to a charming waltz.
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The Swing
Poem Robert Louis Stevenson
From “A Child’s Garden of Verses“
Traditional Music
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
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You can find an excellent traditional waltz for singing this poem, sung “The Cedarmont Kids,” here:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Swing/dp/B0013AJ4JE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1293737796&sr=8-2
(Track 16 of Disk 3)
The music is printed in,
Kids Classics Collection 2 (80 Classic songs for Kids)
Easy Piano-Vocal Arrangements in singable Keys
Music Arranged by Matt Huesmanna nd Chris Davis
Vocal Arrangements by Mike Gay
Published by Cedarmont Music LLC
“The Swing” is printed on p.110
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Click here for an archival summary of musical settings of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poetry:
http://www.robert-louis-stevenson.org/richard-dury-archive/music.htm
Of course I always loved a good ol’ swing set. Years later, when I enjoyed my single young-womanhood in New York City, I loved to visit the playground situated at the north end of Central Park which featured an excellent swing set. It was fun to push-off and swing away the anxiety and uncertainty of being a single girl making her own way in the big city.
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“The Swing” is one of my favorites in “A Child’s Garden of Verses,”
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A Child’s Garden of Verses
Poems by Robert Louis Stevenson
Musical Settings by Various Artists
Illustrated by Brian Wildsmith
Interestingly, each edition (and there are many illustrations) RLS’s collection includes a different set and order of the poems, but “The Swing” is included in every edition of “A Child’s Garden of Verses” that I’ve found so far:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/a-childs-garden-of-verses-singable-poems-by-robert-louis-stevenson/
And in many delightful collections of poetry for children, including:
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A Children’s Treasury of Poems
Illustrated by Linda Bleck
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Poetry for Young People: Robert Louis Stevenson
Edited by Frances Schoonmaker
Illustrated by Lucy Corvino
(Singable Poems include: Bed in Summer, The Swing, The Land of Counterpane)
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A Family of Poems (My Favorite Poetry for Children)
Selected by Caroline Kennedy
Illustrated by Jon Muth
“The Swing” by RLS is printed and illustrated on pps. 105-106
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Ursula Shaw, has a charming illustration of the poem on her blog “Ursula’s Art,”
http://ursulashaw.blogspot.com/2007/07/illustration-friday-poem.html
(Original artwork shown with permission from Ms. Shaw)
Bullwinkle recited his own version of the poem:
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Link to my post about A Child’s Garden of Verses:
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/a-childs-garden-of-verses-singable-poems-by-robert-louis-stevenson/
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Link to the post “Mark Twain on Robert Louis Stevenson“
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/mark-twain-on-robert-louis-stevenson/
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Two illustrations for “The Swing” by the fabulous illustrator EULALIE :
This one was first published in “The Bumper Book,”
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“The Swing” is one of the songs we selected to be part of
“Oh, What a Beautiful Day: Sing Books with Emily, the Cabaret.”
Completing my Song Craft Worksheet is part of my process for working on songs:
Because the first section of the Song Craft Worksheet involves background research on the song, I’ll share the answers with you so you can know about the song, too. The more about the song you know (both concrete facts and less tangible artistic choices), the more “authority,” and heart and soul you can put into the singing and sharing of the song with others. If you are interested in improving your artistic abilities for singing songs in any capacity, just simply filling out the Song Craft Worksheet is a great place to start! After the background research, the rest of the Song Craft Worksheet gets VERY personal…don’t worry! I won’t bore you with that.
1 Q: Who wrote the words?
1 A: Robert Louis Stevenson
2Q: Who wrote the music?
2A: The tune is considered “Traditional,” meaning that the exact origins of the tune are either ancient or ambiguous and that the tune is so ubiquitous it can’t be attributed one person. The tune belongs to everyone and is in ”The Public Domain.”
3Q: When was the song written?
3A: The poem was written by RLS and first published in 1885
4Q: At what point in the lyricists’ and composer’s career was the song written?
4A: RLS was born in 1850 and died young in 1894. He published “Child’s Garden” in 1885, just after writing “Treasure Island” but before writing “Jekyll and Hyde.”
5Q: What is the song from?
5A: RLS collection of poems, “A Child’s Garden of Verses”
6Q: If from a show, what character sang it?
6A: NA
7Q: If from a show, from what situation does the song arise? Why does the character sing the song? What function does the song/character play in the story?
7A: NA
8Q: What other contextual elements of the song are significant?
8A: For me, I’ve always loved to swing on a swing set and always seek them out. Plus, when my children were babies, it was the wonderful swing we had that helped them fall asleep on many nights. We’d put ‘em in the swing and they’d start snoozin’ and that was joy for us parents!
9Q: Was the song written for a particular singer? Why?
9A: NA
10Q: If not from a show, why did the songwriter write the song?
10A: NA
11Q: What do you feel the lyricist is trying to say?
11A: Swinging is a joy of childhood, giving a sense freedom and wonder.
12Q: Does the song tell a story or just express feelings or ideas?
12A: This song expresses feelings and ideas about a child’s joy on a swing.
13Q: Who else has recorded this song:
13A:
The rest of the questions require personal answers and I will spare you those!
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Related Posts:
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CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES, SINGABLE POEMS BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/a-childs-garden-of-verses-singable-poems-by-robert-louis-stevenson/
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MARK TWAIN ON ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/mark-twain-on-robert-louis-stevenson/
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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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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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The Swing (Singable Poem by RLS) a New Illustration by Julie Morstad
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/the-swing-singable-poem-by-rls-a-new-illustration-by-julie-morstad/
We had a delightful afternoon of Singing Books at Shrilington Public Library on Monday, 7/26/2010. The event was kindly hosted by Branch Manager Kimberly. It’s been such a joy to visit these libraries and meet the people who make the libraries warm and wonderful places to visit…not to mention magical places to learn, enjoy and discover.
We discovered some terrific Singable Picture Books, including:
- ABC’s (Traditional Words and Tune, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus)
- ZYX’s (Traditional Tune, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus) (The children broke out into this song and sang it all by themselves. Wonderful!) (Sing this traditional tune long with me at: http://www.myspace.com/singbookswithemily)
- “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Lullabies, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat (Traditional Words and Tune, Words Adapted by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by Sir John Tenniel, From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)
- A-You’re Adorable (Words and Music by Buddy Kaye, Fred Wise, and Sidney Lippman, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus)
- I Love you A Bushel and a Peck (Words and Music by Frank Loesser, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells)
- Teddy Bear’s Picnic (Words and music by Jimmy Kennedy, Illustrated by Alexandra Day)
- “The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top” (Words by Oscar Hammerstein II, Music by Richard Rogers, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Published in “Getting to Know You! Rogers and Hammerstein Favorites“)
- “Dites-Moi” (in French and English!) (Words by Oscar Hammerstein II, Music by Richard Rogers, Illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Published in “Getting to Know You! Rogers and Hammerstein Favorites“)
- “Frere Jacques“ (in French and English!) (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Lullabies, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Do You Know the Muffin Man” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Pop Goes the Weasel” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “London Bridge Is Falling Down” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck) (A few of the mom’s kindly joined in with me to sing this as a round!)
- “Itsy Bitxy Spider” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)(We also sang the lovely second verse to this as written by Raffi!)
- “Yankee Doodle” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- “Skip to My Lou” (Traditional Words and Tune, Published in A Children’s Treasury of Songs, Illustrated by Linda Bleck)
- Animal Fair (Traditional Tune, Words Adapted by Ponder Goembel, Illustrated by Ponder Goembel)
- Knick Knack Paddy Whack (Traditional words and tune, Musical arrangement by Mark Collins, Illustrated by Christiane Engel)
- You’re a Grand Old Flag (Words and music by George M. Cohan, Illustrated by Warren Kimble)
- Mail Myself to You (Words and Music by Woody Gutherie, Illustrated by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus)
- Frosty the Snowman (Words and Music by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey)
- I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More (Words adapted by Karen Beaumont, Illustrated by David Catrow, Sing to the tune of “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More”)
- Clementine (Traditional Words and Tune, Edited by Ann Owen, Illustrated by Sandra D’Antonio)
- Going to the Zoo (Words and Music by Tom Paxton, Illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt)
PS: I think this list we sang of 26 songs is close to (or actually) the record of the most songs in a single gathering. We sang for a couple of extra minutes and this was a crowd with some very young children in it. It is thrilling that the kids were able to focus and enjoy themselves through so many tunes! Bravo friends!
Sing Book with Emily, TOMORROW, Wednesday, July 28, 10:30am at the CENTRAL Arlington County Public Library (1015 N. Quincy St, Arlington VA 22201)
Posted on: July 27, 2010
It has been SUCH a joy to visit the Arlington County Public Library Branches.
I can’t wait to visit the Central Library at 10:30am, TOMORROW, Wednesday, July 28!
Please join me for a sing-along with some wonderful Singable Picture Books at,
Central Library:
1015 N. Quincy St, Arlington VA 22201
703-228-5990
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Wednesday, July 28 at 10:30am
For more information about this branch, visit:
http://centrallibraryarlingtonva.blogspot.com/
Look for this flyer at your local Arlington County Public Library for dates/times/locations of upcoming Sing Books with Emily gatherings at Branch Libraries:
Upcoming dates, times, locations for “Sing Books with Emily” at the Arlington Count Public Libraries:
Columbia Pike Library:
816 South Walter Reed Dr, Arlington, VA 22204
703-228-5710
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Friday, July 30 at 10:30am
Glencarlyn Library:
300 South Kensington Street, Arlington, VA 22204
703-2286548
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Wednesday, August 4 at 6:30pm
Cherrydale Library:
2190 North Military Rd, Arlington VA 22207
703-228-5946
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Thursday, August 5 at 10:30am
“Read, Sing, Play ABC Sing-Along,” A Singable Book, Letter R (tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”)
Posted on: July 26, 2010
R is Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain! Here R comes!
Sing the words of the song for the letter R to the tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain.”
Read, Sing, Play ABC Sing-Along
Words Adapted by Teddy Slater
Illustrated by Liisa Chauncy Guida
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Roy’s Dog Rover Runs All Over
(Lyrics by Teddy Slater, from book “ABC Sing-Along,” sing to the tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain”)
Roy’s dog Rover runs all over.
Rover runs.
Roy’s dog Rover runs all over.
Rover runs.
Rover races, Rover chases,
Rover chews on Roy’s shoelaces.
Oh, yes, Rover runs all over.
Rover runs.
The original lyrics, here:
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She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain
Traditional Words and Tune
(It’s a lot of fun to sing this song with responses, written in italic and in parentheses below, and using hand movements suggested in a book or made up on the fly)
She’ll be coming round the mountain
When she comes
(Toot, toot!)
She’ll be coming round the mountain
When she comes
(Toot, toot!)
She’ll be coming round the mountain,
She’ll be coming round the mountain,
She’ll be coming round the mountain
When she comes
(Toot, toot!)
She’ll be driving six white horses
When she comes
(Whoa back!)
She’ll be driving six white horses
When she comes
(Whoa back!)
She’ll be driving six white horses,
She’ll be driving six white horses,
She’ll be driving six white horses
When she comes
(Whoa back! Toot, toot!)
Oh, we’ll all go out to meet her
When she comes
(Hi babe!)
Oh, we’ll all go out to meet her
When she comes
(Hi babe!)
Oh, we’ll all go out to meet her,
We’ll all go out to meet her,
We’ll all go out to meet her
When she comes
(Hi babe! Whoa back! Toot, toot!)
She’ll be wearing red pajamas
When she comes
(Scratch, scratch)
She’ll be wearing red pajamas
When she comes
(Scratch, scratch)
She’ll be wearing red pajamas,
She’ll be wearing red pajamas,
She’ll be wearing red pajamas
When she comes
(Scratch, scratch, Hi babe! Whoa back! Toot, toot!)
She will have to sleep with Grandma
When she comes
(She snores!)
She will have to sleep with Grandma
When she comes
(She snores!)
She will have to sleep with Grandma,
She’ll have to sleep with Grandma,
She will have to sleep with Grandma
When she comes
(She snores! Scratch, scratch, Hi babe! Whoa back! Toot, toot!)
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Many versions of this song exist. Feel free to research others or make up your own! That’s the “Folk Way.”
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Find a terrific link for “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain,” here:
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/s004.html
This site features lyrics, activities, and a sing-along midi player.
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An interesting wiki article about the song, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She’ll_Be_Coming_’Round_the_Mountain
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She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain
Traditional Words and Tune
Words Adapted by Jonathan Emmett
Illustrated by Deborah Allwright
(This book features printed music on the end papers and actions to go along with the responses to each verse)
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She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain
Traditional Words and Tune
Edited by Ann Owen
Illustrated by Sandra D’Antonio
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She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain
Traditional Words and Tune
Words Adapted by Philomen Sturges
Illustrated by Ashely Wolff
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The song is also included in some wonderful Singable Picture Book compilations,
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Let’s Sing Together
The Peter Yarrow Songbook
Compiled by Peter Yarrow
Illustrated by Terry Widener
(A collection of folk songs, Illustrated)
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A Treasury of Children’s Songs: Forty Favorites to Sing and Play
Illustrated with Art from the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
Music Arranged and Edited by Dan Fox
“She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain“ is printed on page 80
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I Hear America Singing! (Folk Songs for American Families)
Collected and arranged by Kathleen Drull
Illustrated by Allen Garnes
Introductory note by Arlo Guthrie
(This book includes a CD and sheet music)
“She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain” is printed (with music, an illustration, and historical information about the song) on page 94-95.
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I Was Born About 10,000 Years Ago
Traditional Words and Tune (same tune as ”She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain“)
Words Adapted by Steven Kellogg
Illustrated by Steven Kellogg
ISBN 0-688-13412-2
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To help you remember the tune, enjoy this video!
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Related Articles
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“Read, Sing, Play ABC Sing-Along,” A Singable Book, Letter R (tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”)
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/%E2%80%9Cread-sing-play-abc-sing-along%E2%80%9D-a-singable-book-letter-r-tune-of-%E2%80%9Cshell-be-comin-round-the-mountain%E2%80%9D/
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STEVEN KELLOGG
The Singable Picture Books of Steven Kellogg
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/singable-picture-books-of-steven-kellogg/
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GIRL SCOUT SONGS FOR TROOP 2740 RESOURCES PAGE
http://brownietroop2740.wordpress.com/girl-scouts-songs-troop-2740/
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I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago, a Girl Scout Song for Troop 2740
http://brownietroop2740.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/i-was-born-about-ten-thousand-years-ago-a-girl-scout-song-for-troop-2740/
(Lyric page available at this link)
Sing Book with Emily, MONDAY, July 26, 4pm at Shirlington Branch Library (4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206)
Posted on: July 25, 2010
It has been SUCH a joy to visit the Arlington County Public Library Branches.
I can’t wait to visit Shirlington on Monday at 4pm.
Please join me for a sing-along with some wonderful Singable Picture Books at,
Shirlington Library
4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA 22206
703-228-6545
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Monday, July 26 at 4pm
For more information about this branch, visit:
http://shirlingtonlibraryarlingtonva.blogspot.com/
(By Melissa, Kindergarten 2010)
Look for this flyer at your local Arlington County Public Library for dates/times/locations of upcoming Sing Books with Emily gatherings at Branch Libraries:
Upcoming dates, times, locations for “Sing Books with Emily” at the Arlington Count Public Libraries:
Central Library:
1015 N. Quincy St, Arlington VA 22201
703-228-5990
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Wednesday, July 28 at 10:30am
Columbia Pike Library:
816 South Walter Reed Dr, Arlington, VA 22204
703-228-5710
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Friday, July 30 at 10:30am
Glencarlyn Library:
300 South Kensington Street, Arlington, VA 22204
703-2286548
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Wednesday, August 4 at 6:30pm
Cherrydale Library:
2190 North Military Rd, Arlington VA 22207
703-228-5946
“Sing Books with Emily” gathering will take place on Thursday, August 5 at 10:30am
Sing Books with Emily, TODAY, Wednesday, July 22, 10:30am at Aurora Hills Branch Library (735 S. 18th St, Arlington VA 22202)
Posted on: July 22, 2010
Let’s gather together and Sing Books TODAY at 10:30 am at the Aurora Hills Branch of the Arlington County Public Library!
(By Lizzie, Kindergarten 2010)
I absolutely cannot wait to see new faces and sing some fabulous Singable Picture Books!
See you there!
More info about the library here,
http://aurorahillslibrary.blogspot.com/
Look for this flyer at your local Arlington County Public Library for dates/times/locations of upcoming Sing Books with Emily gatherings at Branch Libraries:
A very nice blog post by Alex at the Westover Library about my “Sing Books” visit there this past Monday,
http://arlingtonvalib.blogspot.com/2010/07/singing-at-westovers-storytime.html
Singing at Westover’s Storytime
On Monday we welcomed a special guest to the Westover Branch Library’s preschool Get Caught Listening storytime when Emily Everson presented a wonderful Singing Storytime.
Her performance was a big hit with the drop-in storytime crowd! Everson, of Sing Books With Emily, told us via email that she had a great time singing at Westover:
“The turn-out was terrific. Ann B. was a delightful host and I was glad to meet her. THANK YOU!!”
She also sent us a list of the books she sang with the kids, for more fun singing at home.
Thanks so much Emily!
And a heartfelt THANK YOU from me to everyone who came out to celebrate the joys of music, song, and Singable Picture Books!
Norman Rockwell at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and 2 Singable Picture Books
Posted on: July 21, 2010
Triple Self-Portrait by Norman Rockwell
One of the great pleasures of living in or near Washington, DC is having access the incredible resources of the Smithsonian. We make good use of the museums, visiting weekly when the weather is cold and frequently in the summer. It is not easy to resist waxing poetical about the inspirational effect these places have on me!
So, to avoid yammering on for too long, I’ll get to the story…
My dad visited us in Arlington last week and he and I got to go see the WONDERFUL exhibit of Norman Rockwell paintings at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. All these Rockwell paintings and drawings were from the collections of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.
I grew up with the images of Norman Rockwell and I remember mostly the realistic and homespun qualities of his pictures. I was surprised by the degree to which Norman Rockwell paints emotion, which is stronly communicated by the paintings in person. The pictures stirred such strong feeling in me that I couldn’t stand looking at any one of them for too long or I simply would have begun to weep and spudder. I wasn’t prepared for this…especially the one of woman meeting a train of orphans at a train station, titled “Good Boy (Little Orphan at the Train).” The woman stands there and looks at the boy who is to be hers. She has brought him a basket of food and he is huddled in the arms of a nun. The looks on their faces are so authentic. One can feel their anticipation, wonder, excitement and hesitance in that moment…both the boy’s and the woman’s. I’m overwhelmed even now, just thinking of it.
Of course, there is plenty humor! In “Happy Birthday Miss Jones,” is the class cut-up, wearing a red shirt. You see him from behind with an eraser on his head and it was undoubtably that boy who wrote “Happy Birthday Jonesy” on the blackboard.
One thing I noticed over and over in Mr. Rockwell’s pictures was his effective use of reds. The colors are striking in his paintings, but his use of reds made an impression on me. I also remember the wonderful blue of the sky above the boy who peers in terror over the edge of the diving board, 20 feet up. We’re always jumping off the high dive in one way or another. That’s Life!
See a slide show with the wall card information printed along-side a thumbnail of the paintings, here: http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/online/tellingstories/
But honestly, GO SEE the pictures in person. This slide show is nice, but it does NOT compare to seeing the pictures in person.
I was excited to find two Singable Picture Books illustrated with images from Norman Rockwell’s canon.
You’re a Grand Old Flag
Music and Lyrics by George M. Cohan
Illustrated with Paintings by Norman Rockwell
Deck the Halls
Traditional Words and Tune
Illustrated with Paintings by Norman Rockwell
This book, not sold at the museum, is another wonderful find:
Norman Rockwell’s Christmas Book
Words and Music by Various Artists
Illustrated with Paintings by Norman Rockwell
There is also a “revised and updated” edition of this book.
Although this is not a Singable Picture Book, it is about a wood thrush who sings and it is the only picture book Norman Rockwell created for especially for children. And, it is a real charmer about the JOY singing one’s own song can be to oneself and to others (and that is what I hope everyone will do with Singable Picture Books!).
Willie Was Different (A Children’s Story)
Written and Illustrated by Norman Rockwell
Hear the song of a wood thrush here:
http://www.songbird.org/birds/woodthrush.htm
or here:
http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=32&osCsid=17k5flg24plve0td1rohdpij52
Brief video histories of Norman Rockwell and his work:
American Chronicals “The Art of Norman Rockwell,” Part 1
youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiL24GF3q_s
American Chronicals “The Art of Norman Rockwell,” Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TO4kOmpyUM
Drawing Inspiration: Norman Rockwell in Stockbridge- part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nDrIfMEqXM
Drawing Inspiration: Norman Rockwell in Stockbridge- part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZJQMqgt6k
Drawing Inspiration: Norman Rockwell in Stockbridge- part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-K4RC3K3Yg
The Norman Rockwell Museum’s YouTube Page
(an AMAZING resource for information and you get to see Norman Rockwell at work):
http://www.youtube.com/user/NormanRockwellMuseum
Website for the Norman Rockwell Museum
http://normanrockwellmuseum.com/
When I was a girl growing up in Indiana, a copy of this picture hung in my room:
