To give readers more perspective on the genre, near the end of the book Schwartz clearly explains how folk poems differ from literary poems, as well as how the poems sometimes evolve. While some of the folk poems may not be familiar to younger readers, most will enjoy the nonsense and humor found in nearly all of the verses. Some of the rhymes are sarcastic (“Liar, liar, pants on fire, Tongue as long as a telephone wire”), catchy (“I’m the boss, Applesauce”), or downright silly (“Higglety, pigglety, pop, The dog has eaten the mop”). Many adults will feel nostalgic when reading Schwartz’s collection of folk poetry. One thing they all have in common is that they have existed for some time-whether it be from the turn of the century or even as long as 2,000 years ago!

Some of these rhymes may have been heard on the playground while jumping rope or bouncing a ball or are just silly riddles. As Schwartz explains, folk poetry can be just about anything-people, school, food, work, weather, the list goes on and on. Many of these folk poems may be familiar to readers (“you scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream”), with variations in some of the rhymes. Schwartz shares a compilation of “folk poetry,” which is essentially poetry that is passed by word of mouth rather written down, with no known author. The resources, illustrations, and rhymes themselves make this a great book for all audiences. Schwartz’s book is an excellent collection of rhymes that is supported by information on poem origins and history of equal entertainment value. Truesdell brings the poems of this work to life with her depictions of people and animals in interesting situations.Īnd the Green Grass Grew All Around is a first-rate work that brings readers of all ages together through the timelessness of folk poetry. Her cartoon-like ink and watercolor works add to the text by book, with line, shape, and shading enabling the black and white illustrations have maximum impact on the reader. One or more illustrations by Sue Truesdell accompany each page of this book. A bibliography and index of first lines complete the text. In the sources section the author includes the information and collector of each rhyme in the book if known, as well as any well-known variant version of certain rhyme. He also touches on each of the kinds of rhymes that can be found in the book, such as nursery rhymes, autograph rhymes, counting-out rhymes. In his notes, the author writes about folk poets and the nature of oral tradition. Schwartz’s book is a high quality, well-written collection, proven by the extensive notes and sources sections following the poems.

Chapter titles range from ‘Love and Marriage,’ ‘Teases and Taunts,’ and ‘Nonsense’ to the simple ‘A Tree’- which holds the title folk work of the book, the lyrics and musical notes for the song ‘And the Green Grass Grew All Around.’ The text is organized into 15 chapters, each including poems of certain type or subject. Schwartz begins the collection of over 200 poems with a poignant introduction that includes the author’s experiences with rhymes on the school yard and information about folk poets. Alvin Schwartz has created a charming collection of folk poetry with And the Green Grass Grew All Around, an illustrated book for elementary readers that adults will also find interesting.

Alvin schwartz