American Folk Songs for Children

With over 90 favorite folk songs, Ruth Crawford Seeger’s "American Folk Songs for Children"is perfect for use at home, day care, or school. This collection contains ballads, chants, spirituals, blues, and singing games with charming illustrations by Barbara Cooney. The songs are organized by theme, such as Outdoors or Singing Games. A thorough introduction includes chapters on using American folk music with children, using the songs at home or at school, singing and providing accompaniment for the songs, improvising on the words and more. Each song gives the lyrics, melody line, piano accompaniment and guitar chord letters; some also give movement or game instructions. For pre-K through elementary grades.

Contents: Acknowledgements; An Appreciation by Carl Sandburg; Preface by Lilla Belle Pitts; How the Book Grew; Why American Folk Music for Our Children; Singing the Songs; Improvising on the Words; Using the Songs at Home; Using the Songs at School; Tone Playand Phrase Repetition; Accompanying the Songs; Nonsense.
Songs:
Coming and Going:
Yonder She Comes; Down Came a Lady; Who's That Tapping at the Window; Such a Getting Upstairs; Toodala; How Old Are You; Jimmy Rose He Went to Town; What Shall We Do When We All Go Out; Goodbye Julie; Goodbye Old Paint.
Outdoors: Oh Oh the Sunshine; Sweet Water Rolling; The Wind Blow East; Rain Come Wet Me; It Rained a Mist; Rain or Shine; One Cold and Frosty Morning; By'm Bye.
Action: Jim Along Josie; There Was a Man and He Was Mad; Riding in the Buggy, Miss Mary Jane; Billy Barlow; The Juniper Tree; Old Joe Clarke; Clap Your Hands; Down by the Greenwood Sidey-o; Roll That Brown Jug Down to Town; As I Walked Out One Holiday; She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes; Juba; Run Chillen Run; All Around the Kitchen; I'm Going to Join the Army; Scraping Up Sand in the Bottom of the Sea.
Animals; Birds; Insects: Old Mr. Rabbit; Old Molly Hare; Oh John the Rabbit; The Little Pig; Bought Me a Cat; Hop Old Squirrel; My Horses Ain't Hungry; Did You Go to the Barney; Have a Little Dog; Frog Went A-Courtin'; Little Bird Little Bird; Free Little Bird; Poor Old Crow; Ducks in the Millpond; Jimmy Crack Corn; Eency Weency Spider; Dog Tick; Who Built the Ark? Noah Noah.
Color; Clothing; Food; Home: Mary Wore Her Red Dress; Pretty Little Girl with the Red Dress On; This Lady She Wears a Dark Green Shawl; Walk Along John; Do Do Pity My Case; Hanging Out the Linen Clothes; Lula Gal; Old Aunt Kate; What Did You Have for Your Supper; Baby Dear; Johnny Get Your Hair Cut; I Got a Letter This Morning; Rose, Rose, and Up She Rises; What'll We Do With the Baby; Hush Little Baby.
Work; Hammers; Trains; Boats: Pick a Bale of Cotton; This Old Hammer; The Train Is A-Coming; The Little Black Train; When the Train Comes Along; John Henry; Every Monday Morning; Going Down to Town; Sailing in the Boat; Blow Boys Blow; Fire Down Below.
Singing Games: Sally Go Round the Sunshine; This Old Man; Skip-a to My Lou; When I Was a Young Maid; The Closet Key; Built My Lady a Fine Brick House; Where Oh Where Is Pretty Little Susie; Jingle at the Windows; Adam Had 7 Sons; Here Sits a Monkey.
Quiet Song sand Christmas Songs: Go to Sleepy; Monday Morning Go to School; Hush 'n' Bye; Turtle Dove; Mary Had a Baby; Jesus Borned in Bethlea; The Cherry Tree Carol.
Classified Indices (by Subject, Rhythmic, Tone Play, Name Play, Games, Finger Play, Small Dramas and Quiet Songs); Index of Song Titles and First Lines.