Children's songs

Subject: Children's songs
From: spinbam
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 10:31 AM

Anybody know a decent book of children's song for guitar (not so much for kids to play, but for kids to sing along with), and where to buy it? Many thanks.

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Ian HP
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 02:16 PM

Can't help on the book - but if there is one I'd like to know. I don't know what country you're in, but at many record fairs in England you can pick a fabulous old Cyril Tawney LP, 'Cyril Tawney sings children's songs from Devon and Cornwall'. It's full of material you could use.

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Ian HP
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 02:20 PM

Ah! Another thought! Little Pot Stove Records in England work by mail order. The chap who runs it, John Dalton, has on his current list a Roy Bailey LP of children's songs with a lyric book - for only £5!. You can get on his e-mail list at . . . http://www.stirrins.demon.co.uk/Little_Pot/Stove.html

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Big Mick
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 03:06 PM

Go to www.elderly.com and order their catalogue. They have a fabulous mail order business. Be sure to get the full specialty catalogue with music books, tapes and recordings. They publish three specialty catalogues (electric, acoustic, music/books/tapes. They also have a combo catalogue that only features a selection of items from each.

Mick

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 03:26 PM

I really like the "Wee Sing" songbooks by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp, which are also available with cassettes (and some videos). Click above at "Help support the Mudcat, and do a search at Barnes & Noble or Amazon. You'll find dozens of "Wee Sing" songbooks. They're cheap (under $3 for a 60-page songbook), they're nicely presented and illustrated, and they have a nice selection of familiar songs.
Another series that I really love are the Fireside Books -but they're out of print, I think. They're readily available at used book sites on the Web - I use Bibliofind (click here). Search under "Fireside Book" and you'll find a variety.
Don't forget the "Rise Up Singing" songbook from Sing Out! Magazine, which is readily available. About $18 US for lyrics and chords to 1,200 songs of all varieties. Not just for children, but they'll like most of the songs in the book.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: BAZ
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 04:37 PM

Here in the U.K. they publish a book called the Jolly Herring 77 songs folk and pop.has things like Bob the Pedigree sheep dog, Gypsy Davy, Fling it here etc. Cost around £10 Published by A& C Black London.
Regards Baz.

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Alice
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 04:39 PM

I just refreshed a thread called "Songbooks". I received an old book called "American Folksongs for Children" last year for Christmas, and there is lengthy description there in Dec.'97 of that book.

alice in montana

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Bo
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 06:40 PM

I'm a firm believer that the best thing for children is sharing what you love. Don't give up on simply interpreting the songs you love so they understand why you love them.

(Before there are objections) I understand there is a role for "children's" books for youngsters, and adults. I just want to put a vote in for good songs for good people of all ages.

Bo

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Big Mick
Date: 12 Sep 98 - 10:14 PM

There is also a Woody Guthrie songbook that has all the songs that he wrote for his kids. The book is an anthology with the sections broken down by general subject. The kids songs are a gas. If you listen to the Alan Lomax/Smithsonian Folkways recordings of his interviews with Woody, you will hear him singing them as he used to sing them to his kids. It is very entertaining. My 6 year old daughter (Bless her) just love it when I sing Woody's stuff.

Mick

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 98 - 05:16 PM

Phil Rosenthal, the former lead singer of the group "Seldom Scene," has his own studio called "American Melody Recording" which puts out children's records (among other things) recorded by him and his family. He's won a few awards for them, I've heard. Don't know the street, but a letter to him in Guilford, CT will find him. (It's a small town).

I never personally liked children's songs, even as a child. My kids always sang along with us on whatever we were singing. Some old, traditional songs that might be good for children would be: Old Blue, Buffalo Gals, Old Joe Clark, etc.

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Pete M
Date: 14 Sep 98 - 06:11 AM

I agree entirely Barbara, I never liked "Childrens songs" either and we never conciously sought out "Childrens songs" for our kids. If an ostensibly "childrens song" took our, or their fancy, fine, otherwise they sang along to whatever we sang or played. At 5 or 6 my youngest's favourites included, "I've lost my spotted cow", and "When Jenkins ale was new".

Basically if the song has a good tune they will enjoy it. If the song is blodthirsty or refers to bodily functions not mentioned in polite society, they will love it.

Pete M.

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: KickyC
Date: 20 Sep 98 - 10:30 PM

I sing with my grandkids and with school children of all ages. There are some good children's songs that the kids really love, but they love some of what we might think of as more adult songs, too. My grandchildren love songs from "We Sing". They are ages 1 and 3, but both of them still like "You Are My Sunshine" as their favorite. The three-year-old asks for it and the little one just lights up and starts dancing and singing along. I have a book called "The Book of Kids Songs, A Holler-Along Handbook" by Nancy and John Cassidy. It is my favorite. It has a mix of songs from Raffi's "Baby Beluga" and "Down By the Bay", to "TheWabash Cannonball", "Day-0" and "Jamaica Farewell" to anme a few. I was just thinking the other day about a list of songs for 2nd and 3rd graders whom I will be performing for this week, and what kinds of songs to sing. I started thinking back to the songs my sister and I used to sing when we were that age. The two that came to mind first were "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Tom Dooley". Not exactly children's songs, but we loved them. A little variety is always good.

KickyC

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Animaterra
Date: 22 Sep 98 - 06:05 PM

I'm finally at school where I can answer this properly! Some great books are: American Folk Songs for Children (Ruth Crawford Seeger) Gonna Sing My Head Off! (ed. Kathleen Krull) Go In and Out the Window (ed. Dan Fox; illustrated with artwork from around the world) The Great Big Book of Children's Songs (Hal Leonard) Sally Go Round the Moon (John Langstaff) That's just for starters. If you want more, email me at [e-mail]!

Subject: RE: Children's songs
From: Ron K
Date: 22 Sep 98 - 08:11 PM

My Kids grew up listening to me sing songs from Raffi's songbook "Singable Songs For the Young" (I believe that's the title). Now that they are playing their own instruments, they are constantly going through that book to find songs for themselves to sing. It has a wonderful collection of old standards from people like Guthrie, Seeger, and others as well as some newer songs. If you can check it out, I think you will enjoy it.