American Folk Songs for Children, in Home, School and Nursery School: A Book for Children, Parents and Teachers [Paperback]

Ruth Crawford Seeger (Author), Barbara Cooney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Ninety of America's best-loved songs, both words  and music, are accompanied by charming drawings,  suggestions for text improvisations, rhythmic play  and games. Complete with an easy-to-use index.  

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"An exciting book in the field of creative music for children." -- Kirkus Reviews

A Child Study Children's Book Committee: Children's Book of the Year, An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists.

From the Inside Flap

Ninety of America's best-loved songs, both words and music, are accompanied by charming drawings, suggestions for text improvisations, rhythmic play and games. Complete with an easy-to-use index.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday/Zephyr Books (March 11, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385157886
• ISBN-13: 978-0385157889
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,364,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Folk songbook with advice for teaching/performing., September 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: American Folk Songs for Children, in Home, School and Nursery School: A Book for Children, Parents and Teachers (Paperback)

In the 1948, Ruth Crawford Seeger published this seminal collection of folk music called "American Folk Songs For Children." This group of 94 songs and instructions for using them in the classroom hepled introduce folk music into American schools throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Among the songs included in this songbook are: What Shall We Do When We All Go Out?, Goodbye, Old Paint, It Rained a Mist, By'm Bye, Jim Along Josie, There Was a Man and He Was Mad, Riding in the Buggy, Miss Mary Jane, Old Joe Clarke, Roll That Brown Jug Down to Town, She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain, Juba, Run, Chillen, Run , All Around the Kitchen, The Little Pig, Hop, Old Squirrel , Have a Little Dog, Frog Went A-Courtin', The Juniper Tree, This Old Man, Skip-a to My Lou, Where Oh Where is Pretty Little Susie (Pawpaw Patch),

This book also covers how to introduce and teach folk music to children with a special emphasis on how to perform the songs to groups of children and get them to join in as well as clapping, dancing, playing games, making up their own lines, etc.

This edition has that classic late 1940s/early 1950s typographical style as well as Barbara Cooney's wonderful illustrations to the songs. The sheet music is generally laid out in three staves with a melody line and simple piano accompaniment underneath and chord symbols above (but not those guitar chord diagram boxes). Extra lyrics are listed as a side-bar, which is very easy to use, once you've learned the songs. Teachers and parents can make good use of the book, but there's more...

In 1976, Ruth Crawford Seeger's children, Mike and Peggy Seeger, themselves accomplished folk musicians known the world over, recorded their mother's songbook (available on CD on Rounder Records) using folk instruments (guitars, dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, fiddles, autoharps, harmonicas, spoons, guitars, pennywhistles) to produce a non-slick, non-cutesy music that displays these American folk songs in an authentic setting. This record is a great starting point for introducing children to folk music and compliments the book well. The songs are entertaining, as well as an education itself about music, history and even sociology. The notes accompanying the album apply to the songs and book also:

"(Ruth Crawford Seeger) has recognized that children are among the best critics we have and that their sense of drama, reality and tragedy feeds voraciously on whatever it finds. Children make and sing songs in the same way, and for the same purpose that they play games: to prepare themselves for the adult world. They see that world all around them in its true violence, with all the bewildering contradictions--and they take on its sense of values whether or not adults approve. Grown-ups who underestimate this cathartic need of children to express in their own words and actions the birth-love-work-death cycle, and who feed their young on Dick-and-Jane, Walt Disney, on the pink-and-blue image of childhood, are merely feeding back into their children their own inability to cope. Children are violent, passionate, innocent, knowing and utterly involved in life. They are discerning and very observant. Adults who ignore this or suppress a child's interest are asking for trouble."

That aspect alone argues for how serious it is to provide musical experiences that differ from the standard faire of "Barney" or Disney soundtrack fodder, let alone contemporary pop music. The book offers lessons for reclaiming and using our American heritage in today's world. Some things are timeless and this book is one of them.

I've developed a folk music program for my daughter's pre-school and kindergarten classes using this songbook. The songs are easy to play, fun and untainted by the condescending tone of most "kiddie music." If you don't buy the book, get the CD. Your kids--and you, will love it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every parent, teacher and musician should have a copy., January 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: American Folk Songs for Children, in Home, School and Nursery School: A Book for Children, Parents and Teachers (Paperback)

I have used this book not only in the pre-schools and elementary schools, but in middle school and high school as well. Many of the songs worked beautifully when I taught harmonica to 17 and 18-year-olds, and recorder to younger students. I very much like the way the author encourages improvisation and acknowledges that music changes over time. It is important to remind people that everyone can make their own music, and Ms. Seeger encourages creativity and imagination. I consider the introductory portion of this book to be one of the better parenting texts I have ever seen.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Music Teacher should have a copy of this., May 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: American Folk Songs for Children, in Home, School and Nursery School: A Book for Children, Parents and Teachers (Paperback)

Our family has loved this songbook very much. There are ninety songs in the book. Written by Pete Seeger's sister, American Folk Songs for children has songs each of them suggests an activity. There are songs for going places, songs for knocking on doors and windows, songs for eating, songs for dancing, and many others. I would like to buy a copy as a gift, and I hope there is a reprint date soon.