And the Green Grass Grew All Around- Genre 2

Bibliiography

Schwartz, Alvin. 1992. And the Green Grass Grew All Around Folk Poetry from Everyone. Ill. by Sue Truesdell. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-0227583.

Plot Summary

Alvin Schwartz has organized about 300 folk poems. A folk poem is poetry that has orally been passed down through the generations. Most of the folk poets are unknown. Schwartz organized them into chapters about people, food, school, teases and taunts, wishes/warnings, love and marriage, work, stories, nonsense, riddles, fun and games, rain and shine, tree, animals and insects, and other things. Many of the rhyming words are delightful to the ear.

Critical Analysis

All of the folk poems in this book are meant to be read aloud or sung in some way. Folk poets use use ordinary language in their writing. The notes in the back of the book tell us how far back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and earlier these poems began. For some of the rhymes Schwartz included simple musical stanzas to show us how the rhyme should be sung. There were lots of parodies. "On Top of Spaghetti" brought back many childhood memories while I was reading. I also remember some of these chants while I was learning to jump rope. It was interesting to discover that these chants were written for boys because jump roping was a boys' activity until the late nineteenth century. Schwartz includes an impressive list of sources at the end of the book.

Sue Truesdell used black and white cartoon like drawings to add humor to the text. They are whimsical and add expression to every page. With some chants or poems there are directions included to explain how they should be read. I could not help but smile because many of these poems and chants have been on the Barney shows on television that my children watched while they were growing up. This collection of poems that rhyme and are pleasant to our ear are a definite part of our past.

Review Excerpt(s)

Hazel Rochman Booklist: "The late Alvin Schwartz has left a joyful legacy in this collection of folk poetry for everyone to share. "

Sheree Van Vreede Children's Literature: Perhaps the best collection of folk rhymes I have seen, this award-winning compilation covers many childhood favorites, such as "Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?" and "Here comes the bride/Big, fat, and wide."

Kirkus 1992: Truesdell's marvelous characters dance across the generously broad pages, peering inquisitively at the hilarious goings-on or gleefully joining in the shenanigans. It's hard to imagine a child who wouldn't greet this treasure trove with enthusiasm.

Horn Book 1992: There are rhymes children use for choosing up sides, clapping hands, and jumping rope, as well as parodies of nursery rhymes and nonsense verse for all occasions.

Connections

-A great way to introduce poetry on the playground. Have children repeat chants while jumping rope.
-Introduce poetry to young children.