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Rating: 
Summary: quality of book depends on your purpose for reading it
Review: I agree with the previous reviewer on this point: there are many unimaginative, even boring, rhymes in this book. There are numerous takes on "Five Little Monkeys..." (Five buzzing bumblebees, five little birds, etc.) That gets old!HOWEVER, my three-year-old and one-year-old are pretty easy to impress. Even a "so-so" fingerplay can result in a fun time with them. The biggest advantage of this book, for me, is the topical organization. I am using the rhymes to accompany themed activities. For example, we were talking about corn today; I looked up "foods" (listed in table of contents) and quickly found a rhyme. We used "Sweet Corn,"(which briefly talks about picking, cooking and eating corn) with props to pretend we were actually cooking corn. Though the rhyme isn't incredible, it was perfect to teach a concept. The contents includes topics such as toys, snack time, Easter, snow, flowers, beach...about 70. You might check this book out at the library first to help determine if it will fit your needs. You could find it a waste of money OR a real time-saver and lesson-enhancing reference.
Rating:
Summary: quality of book depends on your purpose for reading it
Review: I agree with the previous reviewer on this point: there are many unimaginative, even boring, rhymes in this book. There are numerous takes on "Five Little Monkeys..." (Five buzzing bumblebees, five little birds, etc.) That gets old! HOWEVER, my three-year-old and one-year-old are pretty easy to impress. Even a "so-so" fingerplay can result in a fun time with them. The biggest advantage of this book, for me, is the topical organization. I am using the rhymes to accompany themed activities. For example, we were talking about corn today; I looked up "foods" (listed in table of contents) and quickly found a rhyme. We used "Sweet Corn,"(which briefly talks about picking, cooking and eating corn) with props to pretend we were actually cooking corn. Though the rhyme isn't incredible, it was perfect to teach a concept. The contents includes topics such as toys, snack time, Easter, snow, flowers, beach...about 70. You might check this book out at the library first to help determine if it will fit your needs. You could find it a waste of money OR a real time-saver and lesson-enhancing reference.
Rating: 
Summary: Quantity Without Quality
Review: I purchased this book hoping it would provide an extensive selection of traditional finger plays and rhymes to use with my children. It did not. While it did have many verses, they were uninspired and unimaginative. The majority lacked rhythm and were poorly rhymed, and there was no musical notation at all. Even the few traditional rhymes/plays were "adapted." It was not illustrated as expected--there were general illustrations in the book, but none demonstrating the hand movements or gestures! In fact, there were frequent notes with the rhymes to "make appropriate hand movements" or words to that effect! Essentially this seems to be a compilation of 'rhymes' submitted to a daycare providers' newsletter by its subscribers. The book was divided into sections as follows: Myself, School, Community, Seasons, Animals, Plants & Foods, Weather, Earth & Sky, Holidays, Special Days, Special People. This book was a huge disappointment and I returned it the day after receiving it. For the same amount of money one can purchase both of Joanna Cole's books and the Emilie Poulsson book. They may not boast 1,000 rhymes, but they offer all the quality and features that this collection does not.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent resource for preschool teachers. A must have!
Review: This book is a fantastic resource for preschool teachers. It has rhymes and fingerplays as well as pictures that can be used with almost any theme. The possibilities are endless. If you can afford only one book for your preschool class, this is the one to have.
Rating:
Summary: Quantity Without Quality
Review: This book is just what I needed as a brand-new children's librarian! It contains songs and rhymes for all kinds of subjects under the sun. Best of all, it's very well indexed. Use it to plan storytimes, teach parents to play with kids, and develop theme teaching units. A fantastic resource!
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