The Best Rhyming Children’s Books
Let Babble take you on a tour/ of books both classic and obscure.
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Hush! A Thai Lullabye by Minfong Ho, 1995
A Caldecott winner, Hush! is one of the best naptime books, adding flavor to the familiar theme of barn animals. Hush! Who's that beeping the pond? "Ghap-ghap! Ghap-ghap!" A glossy white duck. White duck, white duck, don't come beeping. Can't you see that Baby's sleepng? White duck, white duck, don't you cry?, My baby's sleeping right nearby.
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This Little Chick by John Lawrence, 2002
Authentic woodcuts illustrate a traditional verse about an adventurous chick.
This little chick from over the way
went to play with the pigs one day.
and what do you think
they heard him say?
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Nutshell Library by John Lawrence, 2002
Grippable by tiny hands, this timeless box set contains verse books about the alphabet (Alligators All Around), good behavior (Pierre), counting (One Was Johnny), and the months of the year (Chicken Soup with Rice). In 1975, girl group master Carole King transformed the books into the musical TV special "Really Rosie." When will it be released on DVD?
K - keeping kangaroos
L - looking like lions
M - making macaroni
N - never napping
(from Alligators All Around) -
Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough, 2003
Jez Alborough has one of the catchiest flows in kid-dom. If you like this one, check out his addictive Duck in a Truck series.
All dogs walk and jump and run, but dogs don't fly — it can't be done. "But I did," said Sid. "I did." -
On Beyond Zebra! by Dr. Seuss, 1955
The audacity to create new letters for the English alphabet puts this selection ahead of Seuss's more famous titles.
I said, "You can stop, if you want, with the Z because most people stop with the Z. But not me! I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends. My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!" -
Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin by Lloyd Moss, 1995
This book uses fun, musical verse to teach kids about different orchestra instruments — beginning with one solo trombone and ending with a symphony of ten players.
FLUTE, that sends our soul a-shiver;
FLUTE, that slender, silver sliver.
A place among the set it picks
To make a young SEXTET — that's SIX. -
Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino, 1989
Most masterpieces are made by masters, but both Zin Zin Zin and Is Your Mama a Llama? are one-offs — the only picture books written by the authors.
"Is your mama a llama?" I asked my friend Dave.
"No she is not," is the answer Dave gave.
"She hangs by her feet and she lives in a cave.
I do not believe that's how llamas behave."
"Oh," I said, "You are right about that.
I think your mama sounds more like a..." -
Baby Beluga by Raffi, 1990
A beautiful board book illustrating the lyrics to the first song my son learned outside of the "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" somnoverse.
Baby beluga in the deep blue sea.
Swim so wild and swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below
and a little white whale on the go. -
The Charles Addams Mother Goose Charles Addams, 1967
You already know the nursery rhymes, but trust me: you need this book. Once an expensive collectable, it was reprinted to showcase his take Addams' take on the classic — a stoned Mother Goose riding side-saddle on an irritated goose ... a giant spider about to bogart Miss Muffet's tuffet picnic ... a lizard that hatches out broken Humpty Dumpty ...
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Frederick Leo Lionni, 1967
Mostly prose, Frederick — a picture book expressing the value of poetry itself — rhymes only at the end.
... And as Frederick spoke of the sun
the four little mice
began to feel warmer.
Was it Frederick's voice?
Was it magic? ...
Julia Donaldson is the favorite rhymer in our house… See especially “The Gruffalo” and “Room on the Broom.”
Frederick! I loved the book as a child and thinking about it now brings a tear to my eye. A beautiful book about the nourishing power of art and imagination.
Our very favorite rhyming book is “And Here’s to You” by David Elliott. http://www.amazon.com/Heres-You-David-Elliott/dp/0763614270. Appreciation for all sorts of creatures with imaginative rhyming and great pictures. “Here’s to the dogs! The Dreaming People! Dogs! Here’s to the howling ones. The running, yipping, yowling ones, All go and fetch stick ones, The LICK LICK LICK LICK LICK ones. Oh, I love the dogs!”
How about Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein. We love it! Very fun to read aloud. In fact my husband bought me the book way before we had kids!
Is Your Mama A Llama gets read about a zillion times a day in our house!We also love Karma Wilson’s Bear Snores On:”An itty bitty mouse pitter pat tip toe, creep crawls in the cave from the fluff cold snow.Mouse squeaks, ‘Too damp, too dank, too dark!”So he lights wee twigs with a small hot spark.The coals pip pop, and the wind doesn’t stopbut the bear snores on.”So fun to read aloud, and definitely the strongest of the Bear series.
For my money you can’t beat anything by Sandra Boynton. But being music teachers, hubby and I sing books more than we read them. I think the best flowing rhymes are those that naturally lend themselves to song. Oh, and Sandra Boynton has 4 books out with accompanying CD”s of her writing set to non-nauseating children’s songs (that we can’t get enough of), coincidentally. Zin Zin A Violin is another major favorite, too. Good picks!
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea has a great rhythm and rhyme to it too. Great suggestestions to add to our collection!
My son loved Zin Zin a Violin when he was a toddler, but right now with my daughter, who’s one, we’re all about Boynton, specifically Moo Baa La La La. I can hide it behind me and she’ll ferret it out and chuck it at me so that I’ll read it again!
Great suggestions..that girlhttp://heyyourememberme.blogspot.com
I have a question for the entire community…I write rhyming books, but they are not being published by the major houses any more. Boutique presses or self-publishing seem the only outlets that are viable.
Is there any way for the customer…that’s all of us parents and grandparents…to push back and make the publishers, reviewers and contest “runners” pay attention to what matters to us, or do we simply let them take away one of the most enjoyable reading experiences for our children and grandchildren?
Yes, I’d like us to start a counter-revolution!
And, feel free to visit us at http://www.crosswindspress.com. We’re trying, but it’s frightening!
whhhhooooo dude thats coolio ryhming
!!!!
hey guys im trying to write a book for a 5 yr old anyone got any ideas cause im stuck!!
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Great thinking! That ralely breaks the mold!
I remember Pierre and look forward to reading about him to my son but believe it was written by Sendak. Please correct. Thanks!
How can you leave out the Julia Donaldson books?! They’re AMAZING!
My kids have always liked anything Shel Silverstein. (Not his adult stuff of course) and Dr Seuss
My daughter is 21 months and we love the book: Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make MY Day, by Jamie Lee Curtis. I the content is best for older todds, but my daughter loves it just the same. It goes through all sorts of moods: angry, happy, sad, cranky, joyful, confused..etc.
“Today I am lonely. I feel so small.
My Auntie’s away. I wish that she’d call.
My mom’s working late and my dad has the flu.
And although I’ve got stuff I’ve got nothing to do.”