SING OUT!

Six traditional songs loosely woven together in the illustrations and performed by a folk duo provide an invitation to join the fun.

The publisher has taken six well-known songs available individually or collectively in other formats and pulled them together in this new volume. Casson’s illustrations, which have the look of silk-screens, turn this collection of familiar lyrics into a story. A rollerblading woman with mustard-toned skin and long red hair drives six white horses in “She’ll be Coming ’Round the Mountain.” The sparsely bearded cinnamon-colored farmer who shares in the chicken and dumplings in that song woos her in “Little Bingo.” He gives his little green dog a bone in “This Old Man.” The weasel, who makes a cameo appearance in that song, becomes the star of “Pop, Goes the Weasel.” The old man returns in “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” featuring a locomotive engineer named Dinah (who may also be the same woman who came around the mountain) and the weasel strumming a banjo. Finally, farmer and dog return in space suits to see a light-red–toned girl riding a star in “Twinkle, Twinkle.” There’s a monkey, as well, and occasional other characters. Nearly everyone seems to be having a good time, and so will readers and listeners. On the included CD or MP3 files downloaded from the publisher’s website, Canadian singers Sin and Swoon (Michael O’Brien and Michelle Tompkins), accompanied by other musicians, offer catchy renditions just right for singing along.

Songs from yesterday appealingly presented for today’s children.