Rhymes/songs

Wailana the Waterbug

Wailana the waterbug woke up each day, to be with her friends, to go out and play.

What a joy to be seen, all the cheers and the smiles, waterbugs followed the parade on for miles.

All through the Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall Wailana’s parades would bring laughter to all!

Lala Salama

An African lullaby in Swahili and English in which a little boy says good night to all the animals and ends with his mother.

The Cat And The Fiddle

With over forty traditional nursery rhymes, personally chosen by the illustrator and laid out in colour-drenched double spreads. this is a beautiful, painterly collection of rhymes that has the makings of a classic. Included are familiar favourites such as: Hickory Dickory Dock, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Lavender’s Blue, Ride a Cock Horse, Pop Goes the Weasel, To market, To market. And then there are some unusual rhymes to discover, such as Jumping Joan, Gray Goose and Gander, and Hark, Hark, the Dogs Do Bark.The pictures contain lots of detail to pore over, with strong decorative elements and a fine sense of colour and design. The perfect book to share, not only with a baby, but with the whole family.

Get Happy

Simple, rhyming text urges the reader to be happy by making such choices as teasing less and tickling more, or groaning less and giggling more.

A Stork in a Baobab Tree: An African Twelve Days of Christmas

Set in Africa during the Christmas season, this is the story of a village preparing for a celebration – the birth of a child. The story is told in verse inspired by the traditional carol The Twelve Days of Christmas, but in this version by the author Catherine House the gifts are: 1 stork in a baobab tree, 2 thatched huts, 3 woven baskets, 4 market traders, 5 bright khangas, 6 women pounding, 7 children playing, 8 wooden carvings, 9 grazing goats, 10 drummers drumming, 11 dancers dancing and 12 storytellers. This is a Christmas steeped in the atmosphere of African village life, including descriptions of the objects and activities mentioned in the text.

Welcome to the World

Plenty of books tell parents what’s in store when a new baby arrives. But this one lets a new baby in on what he or she might expect. Styled as a sweet and simple letter to a newborn, this picture book introduces Baby to several first-year splendors, such as feeling warm sunlight, watching the movements of clouds, hearing birdsong and experiencing a loving embrace.

Juba This, Juba That

Traditional “juba” rhythms have a long history. They originated in Nigeria as hand-clapping games. People who were brought to the New World as slaves fought hard to keep their culture alive against terrible odds. They transformed “juba” rhythms into work songs that were passed down orally.

Good Night, World

Good night sun and other stars, good night Saturn, Venus, Mars. Elsewhere in the world it’s light, it’s morning there, but here it’s night. As the sun sets from east to west, this book takes children on a magical round-the-world journey to bid good night to the world’s natural wonders, from plants and animals to mountains, oceans, and wide desert plains.