Genre 2: Schoolyard Rhymes

Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun

Selected by Judy Sierra. 2005. Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun. Ill. by Melissa Sweet. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-375-92516-3.

Plot Summary
Judy Sierra must have had a great time collecting over fifty playground rhymes and chants. She has compiled a collection of rhyming verse related to activities such as rope skipping, hand clapping, and ball bouncing. While some may be more popular than others, children everywhere have chanted these silly rhymes in schoolyards for generations; each generation believing they were the ones who invented them all, I'm sure.

Critical Analysis

Sierra's chosen rhymes are catchy, easy to remember, and as the title suggests, just plain fun. These rhymes beg to be chanted aloud and are sure to transport older readers back to the playground as we reminisce about jumping rope to these very same chants. I found myself remembering many of these rhymes from my own childhood, surprised that some were longer than what I had always thought. While the amount of chants relating to underwear and bathroom humor may be off-putting to some, those are exactly the rhymes to which children, especially boys, are drawn. This is most definitely a book that bridges generations and would be appealing to children of all ages.

Melissa Sweet's energetic watercolor-and-collage illustrations fill the pages with expressive faces, thin lines of verse cleverly shaped into jump ropes, flower stems, and borders, and amusing interpretive images from the rhymes. While she fills the pages with colorful action, one never feels overwhelmed by the artwork. Sweet's art is the perfect accompaniment to enhance the rhymes without overshadowing the text.

Review Excerpts

Booklist:
"Sweet's comical, mixed-media art adds to the wackiness of the rhymes, with jump ropes commanding a prominent position, whether used by children or pickles or bears. A great choice for back-to-school displays."

Horn Book starred review:
"This picture book rejoices in the rhymes of childhood -- not the adult-approved Mother Goose nursery rhymes but the sometimes spiteful, always zesty rhymes chanted by children themselves."

Connections

Teachers could use this book of catchy rhymes when helping students build fluency.

Related Books

Anna Banana: 101 Jump Rope Rhymes by Joanna Cole

Miss Mary Mack and Other Children's Street Rhymes by Joanna Cole

Hopscotch, Hangman, Hot Potato, & Ha Ha Ha: A Rulebook of Children's Games by Jack Macquire

Book cover art from www.librarything.com.