Do you remember this song? Deep in your memory, back to the days of your own early childhood, do you remember singing “head, shoulders, knees and toes”?
Rhymes are beloved by young children. That’s why rhyming text shows up so often in children’s books.
As adults you might be a smidge bothered by the constant rhyming. It’s okay. The rhymes are not for you – they are for the little ones :).
Brain development in early childhood loves rhyming text! It’s how little ones process the world around them, master sounds and letters and words, and figure out how it all connects.
Add this book, and as many other rhyming titles as you can find, to your home library. Then buckle in for three to five years of rhymes!
Savor this time of rhyme (pun intended), because all too soon your little one will move on to more advanced text. While you may be on rhyme overload right now, just that quickly this time will disappear.
Updated Edition
Follow this link and you’ll discover that the currently published edition of this book is different than the one shown in my photos (see below).
That’s because the publisher, Child’s Play, has updated this title plus they’ve added more books to this series. This practice happens often in the publishing industry. It can be a lot of fun to acquire both the new and older editions. You’ll be amazed at the trinkets of joy you can find as the publisher makes small adjustments to each edition. It’s a bit like a treasure hunt (something children often enjoy)! Sometimes a child will greatly prefer one edition or format of a title over another.
The new edition is part of the Baby Rhyme Time series created and published by Child’s Play. It’s available in Bilingual English and Spanish, and also on Audio CD. Illustrator Sarah Dellow partnered with veteran Child’s Play illustrator Annie Kubler for the new editions.
2002 Edition and Illustrator Annie Kubler
The 2002 Edition of this title is one of the treasured titles on our home bookshelf.
It was gifted to us, together with a companion title This Little Piggy, by one of my son’s grandmothers.
The 2002 edition features Annie Kubler’s illustrations. The media she uses (looks like graphite/pencil and colored pencil and/or watercolor) produce a soft, feathered texture to the pictures. That soft texture jives well with the sensibilities of young children in early childhood.
Annie Kubler is a brilliant illustrator. Creating a children’s book takes enormous skill. Each small component in the illustrations must have purpose. Take a peak inside the 2002 edition in the pics below, featuring Annie’s illustrations, and you’ll see what I mean. From including stuffed animals and pets touching their heads and shoulders (relatable for a child) to the elements that connect to what a child hear’s tastes, and smells (“and ears, and mouth, and nose”). Her pictures are genius at work and so enjoyable.
Meet Annie in this video about “The Important of Inclusivity in Picture Books”, produced and published by Scottish Book Trust.
Get Your Copy
If you find a copy of the edition I have … I do recommend snapping it up. Check the Child’s Play website (where as of the writing of this post, the 2002 edition is still available) or ThriftBooks.com for copies. Also keep an eye on your local library, book sales, Little Free Libraries, yard sales, and more!
Book Facts
Illustrator: Annie Kubler
Copyright: 2002
Publisher: Child’s Play, childs-play.com
Age Range: 0 to 5 years (babies, toddlers, preschoolers)
See Inside the Book
If I Were an Elephant