This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Sing Along with Books!

But I Can't Sing! But I Don't Remember the Words! But I Don't Know the Tune!

Guess what! Your child doesn’t care! You can sing out of tune, make up the words, even babble silly nonsense and your little one will love it!  Research has shown that singing can:

*calm little ones,

*soothe frazzled grownups, and

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

*add to a “rich sensory environment” which helps kids get smarter

 So grab a book you can sing along to!  That takes care of the lyrics.  And if you don’t know the tune, make it up or choose a book that includes a CD to sing along with. 

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you’re a Raffi fan (like me!), there are quite a few older Raffi picture books of his popular songs like Baby Beluga, Shake My Sillies Out and Down by the Bay.  There’s a wonderful version of Everything Grows illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes that includes a CD.

Puff the Magic Dragon features a friendly looking dragon frolicking with Jackie Paper, and a beautiful rendition of the song sung by Peter Yarrow and his daughter.  Honalee is a gentle, magical place illustrated in soothing greens and blues where even the pirates are cheerful!  And when Puff is heartbroken after Jackie Paper grows up, a new little girl comes to play with Puff, making for a happily- ever-after ending.

Knick Knack Paddy Whack by SteveSongs is a great counting songbook featuring a marching band of happy kids, a cute dog and “this old man,” a cheerful, fun-loving senior citizen. The energetic illustrations show a variety of instruments that you can read more about at the end of the book.

 For a good old Chicago folk standby, take a ride on the Train They Call the City of New Orleans. You and your child will go “rocking to the gentle beat” on a train drawn in retro scratchboard illustrations that seems to come from another place and time. You can even do a quick geography lesson with your little one using the book’s map of the train’s journey from Chicago to New Orleans. (includes CD)

 You and your child can’t help but enjoy You’re Wonderful by Debbie Clement. Who doesn’t want to hear that they are “wonderful, marvelous, beautiful, magical, and filled with curiosity and dreams?” The illustrations are an explosion of brightly colored quilts, and you can also learn some simple sign language to enhance this wonderful experience (includes CD).

 While Iza Trapani has turned quite a few nursery rhymes and traditional songs into picture books, Itsy Bitsy Spider is my favorite.  Don’t think you know the whole story—the waterspout is just the first of many adventures this busy little spider gets himself into!

 And for a quiet book that is great for putting little ones to bed, my favorite is Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long.  The mama and baby bunny in this book get comfort from the beauty outside their window, the coziness of their little house and the love they share.

 What a Wonderful World, illustrated by Ashley Bryan, is just the book to sing when everyday life threatens to bring you down.  With its brightly colored world filled with wondrous places, creatures and people, this book will help you remember what really is wonderful about our world.

 Once you’ve started, you’ll want more books to sing.  Ask at the Youth Services desk at the Niles Public Library, and we’ll set you up.  Happy singing!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?