I Hear America Singing!: Folksongs for American Families with CD

by Kathleen Krull, Allen Garns (Illustrator)

Originally published as Gonna Sing My Head Off!, this big, colorful songbook is now reissued for the first time with a 23-song CD created especially for it. The book includes 62 of the best-loved American folk songs, with all the lyrics and easy-to-play musical arrangements of the tunes everyone remembers although they may need a little help with the words. From Maine to California, here are ”Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” “On Top of Old Smoky,” “Home on the Range,” “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” “This Land Is Your Land,” to name a few–songs that represent the American spirit and history. With each beautifully illustrated song is a note about its origin.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published May 13, 2003

Reviews

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

We sang through this book over the course of the Fall 2020 semester. It was delightful. We pounded out the tunes and tried our best to sing along, then we pulled up a YouTube version and sang along again. Exposing ourselves to folk songs was delightful.

[Meagan]

This is a neat compilation, but gosh, I never realized how disturbing some of these songs are. For example, Oh My Darling Clementine is about a girl who drowns in a river while doing chores, her dad unable to save her because he can't swim.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed rediscovering some songs and the historical notes about some of them. My copy from the library did not come with a CD.

[Belle Meade School]

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