Schoolhouse Rock!: The Official Guide

by Tom Yohe, George Newall

Those catchy, jazzy tunes from Schoolhouse Rock taught millions of us the fundamentals of math, grammar, science, and history. We learned how a bill becomes a law in "I'm Just a Bill," the planets of our solar system in "Interplanet Janet," how to turn an adjective into a perfectly good adverb in "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here," and we unknowingly memorized the Preamble to the Constitution!
A blast from the past, Schoolhouse Rock! The Official Guide includes all the unforgettable lyrics and memorable moments from the forty original segments. Sprinkled with facts and behind-the-scenes trivia, Schoolhouse Rock! The Official Guide is the must-have book for every fan who wants to relive this beloved, pop culture sensation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Tv, Childrens

95 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1996

Reviews

[Terence · Rating 5 out of 5]

"OMG!" as my younger peers might text.

Schoolhouse Rock taught me the parts of speech ("Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here"!, "Conjunction Junction what's your function?"!, "Interjections!"!), my multiplication tables, astronomy ("Interplanet Janet," my galaxy girl!), how a bill becomes law, and who (of a certain age) can refrain from singing the Preamble to the Constitution?

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who in my generation doesn't recall the Schoolhouse Rock snippets and still don't find themselves every once in awhile having the song "I'm Just a Bill" or "Conjunction Junction"?

This book is a nice nostalgic trip down memory lane for adults like me but these lyrical capsules still hold up to the hands of time and remain a fun way to educate the young.

I love it as a reference to my childhood but love it even more when I introduce these wonderful songs/lessons to a child.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit I only flipped through this since this is primarily a collection of lyrics, with a few facts and bits of trivia shoehorned in the sides. Unfortunately, there are a number of songs I didn't know, since most of what I knew was from a limited selection that my parents had recorded (and the songs only came up sporadically, at random, so it wasn't easy to just catch them). I remember being excited when there was a DVD release, but that ended up being disappointing because some of the songs were missing (and also one specific short I was looking for ended up not actually being a Schoolhouse Rock! short, meaning THAT series would be lost forever except as random YouTube uploads from whoever happened to record them back in the day).

Ahem.

Great for fans who love lyric sheets and other facts and trivia about the show—not as interesting for folks who only want to watch, not read along.

[Kbg503 · Rating 5 out of 5]

With each lesson, there are facts, lyrics, trivia, and some artwork! I can easily recall the tune and vocals and which scenes made me smile the most. And it's great to learn that others need hum to remember the Preamble of the Constitution.

[Ambur Taft · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little trip down memory lane. I didn’t realize all of these songs are stuck in the song library of my brain, although I probably heard them weekly as a child. I enjoyed the trivia and fun facts as well.

[Joseph Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was, in general, a gross mistake to consign our children's attention to ad men, but in this case it turned out fairly well. sadly, i can't imagine something like this working today; infotainment is at a different, less naive stage of development.

[RebL · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1996, this book was very important, because it contained the lyrics to all the Schoolhouse Rock songs, that Saturday-morning cornerstone of the Gen X childhood, and facts on the making thereof. The advent of the Google search has made it slightly less so, but it's still a lovely nostalgic read.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad that weather wasn't included.

[C Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to reminisce.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful reminder of my childhood and with a surprising amount of material still relevant today.
I own the 30th edition double-DVD which contains all of the songs and a version of this songbook. My two DD (3&7) both love watching it now with my DH and I (who both break into song at times, earning odd looks from my oldest as we crack up laughing.) For $14, you really can't beat the educational and entertainment value of the DVD set.

Very highly recommend.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of one of my favorite childhood memories, the Schoolhouse Rock cartoon series. To have complete lyrics for favorites, find out about the writers, artists and singers was a surprising joy 30 years later.

[Darrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! As a teacher, my students actually enjoyed singing the Preamble (it was easier than learn it without the song). But the music is still catchy today. One my favorites is READY OR NOT! and RUFUS XAVIOR SASPARILLA. In a word: brilliant.

[christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

so retro, brings me back!

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Includes song lyrics and trivia such as meaning of the words.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I great read that brought back memories of staying in on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons!