Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Running List of Song Books: Christmas Edition

There are a ton of great Christmas songs that have also been turned into picture books to share.

Again, I will add to this as I find or remember them, so please feel free to remind me of any I have missed in the comments!

Deck the Halls, by Norman Rockwell
Here Comes Santa Claus, by Gene Autry
The Huron Carol, Brebeuf, Father Jean de, eng. lyrics by Jesse Edgar Middleton, ill Ian Wallace
Santa Baby - by Janie Bynum
- a reworking to celebrate sharing xmas with a baby, quite cute
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town, by Steven Kellogg
- this is the full version
The Twelve Days of Christmas - there are lot of versions of this. Jan Brett's is quite nice, and
Robert Sabuda's pop-up is stunning.

Running List of Song Books

I love book versions of songs for kids. They give the kids something to look at and focus on when you use them with a group. They can add a new dimension to an old favourite, tucking humour or beauty into the pictures in greater detail. They are great for building phonetic awareness skills. Kids will sit still for a song or join in singing along, so they are great for a group. And of course, they help me remember the words!

This list will be added to as I find or remember new versions, so please add any favourites I may have missed in the comments!

Kids' Favourites:

Baby Beluga, by Raffi
Down By The Bay, by Raffi
Eensy Weensy Spider, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
*note, she doesn't die here
also: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, by Simms Taback
If You're Happy and You Know It, by Raffi
Lady With The Alligator Purse, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Little White Duck, by Walt Whippo
Miss Mary Mack, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Old McDonald, by Jane Cabrera
On Top of Spaghetti, by Paul Brett Johnson
* melding of story and song
Puff the Magic Dragon, by Pete Yarrow
The Seals on the Bus, by Lenny Hort
Shake Your Sillies Out, by Raffi
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain, by Jonathan Emmett
Skip To My Lou, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Spider on the Floor, by Raffi
The Teddy Bears' Picnic, by Jimmi Kennedy
This Little Light of Mine, by Raffi
The Wheels on the Bus, by Raffi
The Wheels on the Bus, by Paul O Zelinsky

Other Great Song Books:

A-tisket, A-tasket, by Ella Fitzgerald
Let It Shine, [ill.] by Ashley Bryan
Summertime, by George Gershwin
Turn! Turn! Turn!, by Pete Seeger
What a Wonderful World, by George Weiss
Rodgers and Hammerstein's My Favorite Things, by Oscar Hammerstein, ill. James Warhola