Gyo Fujikawa (1908–1998)

Chosen for the illustrations by Fujikawa, but pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the verses chosen. Some are significantly longer, or more serious, than those included in other anthologies for young children.

I'm particularly impressed by "The Day is Done" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, with 11 verses including:

A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.

requested for the illustrations
Love the title... I've never had a friend so it's all a mystery to me, but I remember getting to know my stepdaughter when she was a young teen and getting to hear her complain to her dad about the fights (and making-ups) with her friends... I look forward to finding out what this kind of friendship interaction means for little kids....
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Ok, it's not what I predicted. It's better. Each spread is like an episode, a themed (unrhymed) verse. Good Day, Bad show more Day, School Time, etc. Each has 5-25 children of all ethnicities and (usually) various ages 0-6 or so. Almost like the classics by [a:Ruth Krauss|12961|Ruth Krauss|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1495054958p2/12961.jpg] like [b:Open House for Butterflies|22765|Open House for Butterflies|Ruth Krauss|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386923640s/22765.jpg|23772]. The title refers to just one picture and only that much text.

This is the kind of book I child will want to own as soon as they're big enough to lay down on their elbows and turn the pages themselves, to look at over and over again. Just darling, but funny too, and, yes, sometimes the children do get realistically frustrated with each other.

Imo, timeless. Some might think it too cute, even twee, but if you and yours don't need a steady diet of superheros and robots, dial it down and enjoy some Fujikawa. show less

This was one of my favorite books as a child. I wore the spine off completely! The book was a gift from my paternal grandparents, who inscribed the front page "from Mono and Papa." Inside, adorably cute illustrations of tiny girls and boys (some in color, others in black ink) romp across the pages, playing games, singing songs, making up nonsense poetry. The children represent varied ethnic backgrounds. The stories span the range of emotions, from having fun splashing in the mud to crying show more when the toy breaks to squabbling with a friend and, later, reconciliation. An excellent book. show less

So many rhymes, including lots unfamiliar to me (and I've read some big anthologies before). Bonus star for the diversity of the characters, as is G.F.'s trademark. Marked down for no credits (not all of these are Mother Goose!) and for illustrating the riddles with their answers (I would really like to try to solve them for myself, and wouldn't any other reader?).

A book to own, as a child will want to memorize many of them if you encourage him. Slow down your hurried life and do so, every show more child needs a few poems in their pocket. show less