Ilse Bilse

Rich and diverse is the traditional treasure of children's verses. Too often, only remnants remain of what we mastered effortlessly as children—because our parents and grandparents recited or sang them to us to help us sleep, because we accompanied our games with funny rhymes, or because we shouted wonderfully disrespectful verses that poked fun at the adults. This book gathers the most beautiful children's verses. In addition to soothing verses, lullabies, and cradle rhymes crafted by loving parents throughout the centuries, there are amusing rhymes created by children themselves for their own entertainment and joy, as well as teasing, joke, and nonsense verses full of boundless creativity. Many of the verses are centuries old, having preserved their freshness through generations of children, and they can still accompany children's play and daily activities today. They also introduce precious words that find their way into children's vocabulary in such a playful and natural manner. The book also provides instructions for finger, movement, and circle games that can be performed with many of the songs and verses. The imaginative and consistently four-color illustrations complete the book, making it a little treasure for the whole family.