We’ve all grown up listening to classic nursery rhymes and if you’re a parent, grandparent or caregiver, chances are you have a rotation of them in your daily reading repertoire with the kids. But have you ever really listened to some of their not-so-pleasant themes? Chappaqua resident and veteran early childhood music educator Pam Gittleman has just released Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®, Volume 2, her second volume of updated rhymes perfect for the children in your life.
This new collection under the For Kinder Times® brand features nine updated nursery rhymes with storylines promoting kindness, empathy and gratitude. If you’re familiar with the classic rhymes, many of them have dark themes and acts of violence. Kinder Times® rhymes show acts of compassion and help kids (and parents) recognize different emotions and how to regulate them in a fun and whimsical way.
Part of the reason Gittleman wrote the books was to help preserve this genre for a new generation. “As an early childhood music educator, I loved reading/singing traditional nursery rhymes. I loved that they had an inherent musicality, supported imagination and language and were memorable. It concerned me that an important genre for supporting language development and musicality might fade away.”
Says Gittleman, “When I realized that young children and families were increasingly unfamiliar with so many rhymes because their parents and teachers found them too old-fashioned, dark, irrelevant and “cringey” to share with their kids, I set out to provide an alternative that everyone could feel great about sharing with the young children in their lives, hence the creation of Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times.®” They are a fresh take on some not-so-friendly rhymes. Did you ever stop to think what actually happened to Humpty Dumpty when he fell off the wall? In this new version – his friends help him back up and give him a band aid!
Another fun aspect of the book is that it comes with an emoji chart to help preschoolers identify and label emotions that they or the characters in the story are feeling. Each rhyme also has guiding questions to encourage conversations about feelings and emotions while supporting language and literacy. “Nursery rhymes are a genre that can provide fun and memorable ways to support imagination, whimsy, musicality and language,” said Gittleman. “Why not leverage them to deliver messaging that is relevant, positive and agreeable/accessible to people of all backgrounds?”
Having already published two volumes is quite an accomplishment but hasn’t come without its challenges. “The biggest challenge I’ve faced is in convincing a traditional publisher to publish my rhymes. Since the concept of a collection of new rhymes did not fit the typical mold of a children’s picture book, it was a hard sell in today’s market. I ultimately decided to publish with a hybrid publisher (a form of self-publishing).” But it is not without its rewards. “One teacher told me that the use of the emoji chart helped one student admit he was sad and angry about a situation at home. She was able to get help for his family as a result of him learning to identify, label and share his feelings. Having an impact like that on even one child has been extremely rewarding.”
And Gittleman is definitely an advocate for reading with children of all ages. “Reading books with young children helps nurture strong, positive relationships, it helps children begin to link printed to spoken words which is a building block for language and literacy, it reinforces listening skills and allows children and caregivers to engage in a shared experience that is bonding, educational and fun.”
Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®, Volume 2 by Pam Gittleman, with art and design by Dan and Catherine Markowitz is published by Mascot Kids, an imprint of Amplify Publishing Group, a leading independent hybrid publisher. It is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For more information visit pamgittleman.com.
