Between the lines: how illustrators use lyrics to inspire
My husband and I recently spent some time listening to The Rolling Stones before attending their show in Macau. Our children did not come to the concert, but listening inspired us to expand their repertoire to songs beyond those about boys named Jack, girls named Mary, and farmyard animals.
I don't want to rely on YouTube music videos as the visual accompaniment to new songs, and I am grateful that the book industry agrees.
It's better to use picture books, as singing is a natural form of repeated reading which is highly effective for improving children's reading skills.
Like many young girls everywhere, they have been faithfully belting out Let it Go
In one study cited by Dr Timothy Rasinski, a professor of literacy education, children who were going to be repeating their grade level sang out written lyrics for 30 minutes, three times a week.
This programme continued for 12 weeks, and it yielded a year's worth of progress, meaning that they caught up to their peers.
My three-year-old has two favourites: Kadir Nelson's He's Got the Whole World in His Hands and Paul O. Zelinsky's Knick-Knack Paddywhack. Books like these are the result of award-winning illustrators envisioning and interpreting song lyrics, as well as the message therein.
A spiritual song, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands , the author of which is unknown, invokes a sense of community and togetherness. Both the tune and the lyrics are so upbeat they beg to be belted out and clapped en masse in church or in school.
Knick-Knack Paddywhack, a moving-parts book, is a great interpretation of a humorous song that I have been singing to my children since they were one month old.