Nursery rhymes are an excellent way to teach rhyming words, word families, and rhythm in the English language. For decades, nursery rhymes have served as a way of introducing the youngest of emerging readers to the characteristics of text, story elements, and basic sight words. Pam Gittleman, author of Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times, has taken nursery rhymes to a new level by incorporating social and emotional learning into her new and refreshing versions of age-old rhymes we will all recognize. Gittleman’s rhymes range from “Three Kind Mice” to “Baa Baa Bright Sheep.”

Social and emotional learning is key to cultivating relationships and creating a stable and caring learning environment in classrooms. Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times, by Pam Gittleman, is a bright spot in literature for young readers in that it delivers important lessons in becoming aware of one’s own feelings. Gittleman’s versions of classic rhymes are relevant and relatable and will quickly catch the interest of young readers, whether they are shared as read-aloud or read independently. The author has done a beautiful job of incorporating feelings into each rhyme in a way little ones will find comforting. The use of emojis at the conclusion of each rhyme really serves to bring the entire book full circle.

I have missed the presence of nursery rhymes in early elementary classrooms. Their benefits are many and desperately needed with regard to literacy. Gittleman knocks it out of the park with her renditions of classic rhymes. I look forward to seeing her work become commonplace in elementary classrooms and guidance curricula.

Pages: 46 | ISBN : 1637558015