The Round Book: Rounds Kids Love to Sing

by Winifred Jaeger, Margaret Read MacDonald, Yvonne Lebrun Davis (Illustrator)

The ultimate audience participation game, icebreaker, friend-maker, laugh-causer, and warmth-giver, the ancient art of round singing is ancient precisely because it is so pleasing to so many. From the ones everybody knows ("Sweetly Sings the Donkey") to campers' specials ("London's Burning") to several lovely old rounds from long ago and far away, the eighty rounds here range from the simple to the challenging, with clear notations for their best use.

Genres: Music

Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Tandava Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection. Lots of good choices, clearly laid out to show how the different parts enter, with illustrations and comments on the songs. I also found it to be great sight-singing practice, as I actually tried to sing each one without an instrument as I read through the book. And now that I've sung through 80 rounds, it makes me want to start writing some myself!

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of 80 rounds that celebrate the good things in life: friendship, nature, giving thanks, and music itself. There are brief suggestions on how to use them, and pointers on how to sing them. Also a brief history of the round and more round sources for the avid singer.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of rounds for singing. Includes a melody line of notes.
It would have been nice to have chords included, but as the melodies are simple and in major keys, it was not difficult to figure out easy chords for accompanying the singing.