SuitabookFinger Rhymes
Marc Brown
- Reading
- Start with one short rhyme and copy the diagram slowly before adding the words. Let the child lead repetition, skip any movement they dislike, and compare how a familiar rhyme is performed here.
- Themes
- Shared play and participation: The rhymes are presented alongside diagrams and illustrations that show hand or finger movements, for adults and children to perform together. The presentation positively frames shared performance and repeated participation as the central way to engage with the rhymes.
- Tradition and variation: The collection brings together familiar and less familiar rhymes, and traditional rhymes may appear with differing words or actions. The book presents inherited rhyme traditions for performance and sharing; it does not appear to offer a sustained argument about their origins or meaning.
- Worth knowing
- Some gestures may need adapting to the child’s interest or comfort, particularly where the activity involves tickling or energetic arm and finger movements. Different versions of traditional rhymes may also use different words or actions.