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Archive for September 4th, 2011

Singable Picture Books by James Whitcomb Riley

Posted by: Sing Books with Emily on: September 4, 2011

In: Case for Singable Books | Poetry | Quotes of Note | Singable Book Title | Singable Poem | Singable Poetry | Song History | SPB List for Special Occasion
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James Whitcomb Riley, known as “The Hoosier Poet” and “The Children’s Poet” wrote many poems that have been illustrated and also set to music.

1903 Portrait of James Whitcomb Riley by John Singer Sargent on display at the Indiana Museum of Art

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Little Orphant Annie
Poem by James Whitcomb Riley
Illustrated by Diane Stanley
Musical Settings by Various Artists

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The Gobble-us’ll Git You Ef You Don’t Watch Out (James Whitcomb Riley’s Little Orphant Annie)
Poem by James Whitcomb Riley
Illustrated by Joel Schick
Musical Settings by Various Artists

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“Nine Little Goblins“ from

Eleven and Three are Poetry
Poems and Music by Various Artists
Compiled by Sally Nohelty
Illustrated by Kelly Oechsli

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Riley Child-Rhymes with Hoosier Pictures
Poems by James Whitcomb Riley
Music by Various Artists
Illustrated by Will Vawter

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When the Frost is on the Punkin
Poem by James Whitcomb Reilly
Illustrations by Glenna Lang
Musical Settings by Various Artists
(This book prints all but the last verse of the poem.)

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Two of my favorite album compilation settings of James Whitcomb Riley’s poetry:

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If You Don’t Watch Out
Annie Hills Sings the Poems of James Whitcomb Riley
This album is available on iTunes and from her website: http://www.annehills.com/annedisc.html#riley

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James Whitcomb Riley (the Fiddling Children’s Poet)
Songs by Deborah Greenblatt
You can find this one on iTunes, but not on Amazon

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Many of the earliest printings and illustrations for James Whitcomb Riley’s poems for children are now in the public domain and can be found on:

A search for “James Whitcomb Riley” in Google Books reveals this list:
http://www.google.com/search?q=jame+whitcomb+riley&tbm=bks&tbo=1

A search for “James Whticomb Riley” in Project Gutenberg reveals another long list of viewable, downloadable treasures.
Project Gutenberg’s website: http://www.gutenberg.org/

Many of these you can download to your computer and PDF format, print and sing along with the recordings above, or YouTubes!

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This little movie on YouTube shows James Whitcomb Riley (both “The Hoosier Poet” and “The Children’s Poet”) at the home on Lockerbie street with his beloved dog Lockerbie and a group of visiting children

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tclKc3uw7T4

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When I was a kid Fall Creek Elementary School took us students on field trips James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home (the home on Lockerbie Square where he spent the last 23 years of his life). And, somehow, my mom learned that Lockerbie Street (right in front of his house) was a great place to watch the Indianapolis downtown fireworks show on the Fourth of July.

A biography of James Whitcomb Riley, from the museum website, here:
http://www.rileykids.org/about/riley_museum/james_whitcomb_riley/

A curriculum guide about James Whitcomb Riley, here:
http://www.rileykids.org/uploads/files/kcs.curriculum_2009.pdf

An informative wiki article about James Whitcomb Riley, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Whitcomb_Riley

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As a Hoosier living on the East Coast, my heart is sentimentally attached to the Hoosier accent. It is particularly satisfying to read of Riley’s celebration of these very colloquialisms, all heard loud and clear in the text of his poems.

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James Whitcomb Riley, the Children’s Poet