What do you think?
Rate this book
Sing A Song of People
Depicts the pleasures of city life, people alone and in crowds, smiling and hurrying, on the sidewalk, bus, and subway.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
1 person is currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Lois Lenski
187 books197 followersLois Lenore Lenski Covey was an influential American author and illustrator whose work reshaped twentieth-century children’s literature through its combination of artistic skill, documentary realism, and deep empathy for childhood experience. Beginning her publishing career in the late 1920s, she went on to write and illustrate nearly one hundred books, ranging from picture books and historical novels to regional fiction, poetry, songbooks, and literary essays. She is best known for the Mr. Small picture book series, her meticulously researched historical novels, and her groundbreaking Regional books, which portrayed the everyday lives of children across diverse American communities.
Born in Ohio and trained formally as both an educator and an artist, Lenski studied at Ohio State University, the Art Students League of New York, and the Westminster School of Art in London. Although she initially aspired to be a painter, exhibiting work in New York galleries, she gradually turned to illustration and then to writing, encouraged by pioneering children’s editor Helen Dean Fish. Her early books drew heavily on her Midwestern childhood, while later works reflected extensive travel, field research, and close observation of family and community life.
Lenski achieved major critical recognition with her historical novels Phebe Fairchild: Her Book and Indian Captive, and with her Regional novel Strawberry Girl, which won the Newbery Medal. These works were notable for their commitment to authenticity, incorporating dialect, material culture, and social realities often avoided in children’s books of the era. She believed that literature for young readers should neither sentimentalize nor sanitize life, but instead foster understanding, tolerance, and empathy.
Alongside her own writing, Lenski illustrated works by other major authors, including Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could and the early volumes of Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series. Her influence extended beyond publishing through lectures, teaching, and advocacy. In 1967 she established the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, dedicated to providing books to children facing social and economic disadvantage.
In her later years, Lenski continued writing while living in Florida, publishing her autobiography Journey into Childhood shortly before her death. Her legacy endures through her books, her educational philosophy, and ongoing efforts to expand access to literature for children.
Born in Ohio and trained formally as both an educator and an artist, Lenski studied at Ohio State University, the Art Students League of New York, and the Westminster School of Art in London. Although she initially aspired to be a painter, exhibiting work in New York galleries, she gradually turned to illustration and then to writing, encouraged by pioneering children’s editor Helen Dean Fish. Her early books drew heavily on her Midwestern childhood, while later works reflected extensive travel, field research, and close observation of family and community life.
Lenski achieved major critical recognition with her historical novels Phebe Fairchild: Her Book and Indian Captive, and with her Regional novel Strawberry Girl, which won the Newbery Medal. These works were notable for their commitment to authenticity, incorporating dialect, material culture, and social realities often avoided in children’s books of the era. She believed that literature for young readers should neither sentimentalize nor sanitize life, but instead foster understanding, tolerance, and empathy.
Alongside her own writing, Lenski illustrated works by other major authors, including Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could and the early volumes of Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series. Her influence extended beyond publishing through lectures, teaching, and advocacy. In 1967 she established the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, dedicated to providing books to children facing social and economic disadvantage.
In her later years, Lenski continued writing while living in Florida, publishing her autobiography Journey into Childhood shortly before her death. Her legacy endures through her books, her educational philosophy, and ongoing efforts to expand access to literature for children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 25, 2022
Here’s a fun one for the littles!
Cities have so many people, all walking about and going places. You’ll enjoy Lenski’s rhyming verse that captures the bustle.
Three-dimensional paper constructions illustrate the song nicely, as it’s just as unique as the people you’ll see.
Ages: 2 - 5
Cities have so many people, all walking about and going places. You’ll enjoy Lenski’s rhyming verse that captures the bustle.
Three-dimensional paper constructions illustrate the song nicely, as it’s just as unique as the people you’ll see.
Ages: 2 - 5
September 28, 2017
Very cute rhyming book. Hard for children to spend time in pictures and notice rhymes.
February 21, 2019
All kinds of people!
March 1, 2023
I love the illustrations and the depiction of city life. Would love to read to a class when talking about communities we live in.
September 17, 2025
This was a sweet poem with some beautiful illustrations to look at. I don’t know how I’d use it in a classroom setting but the I think students will take away from it, how everyone is different.
July 15, 2021
Realistic fiction picture book
K-4
A wonderful portrayal of what it is to live in a large urban setting. It makes me miss living in Chicago. Would be great for a compare and contrast between big city, small town, or rural. Pictures are complex and do a good job of evoking the atmosphere of big city downtown.
Not a lot of words one each page but a lot of content nonetheless. Good for option to use for struggling readers or ENLs to use for a higher level assignment such as a compare/contrast.
Text set ideas: communities
K-4
A wonderful portrayal of what it is to live in a large urban setting. It makes me miss living in Chicago. Would be great for a compare and contrast between big city, small town, or rural. Pictures are complex and do a good job of evoking the atmosphere of big city downtown.
Not a lot of words one each page but a lot of content nonetheless. Good for option to use for struggling readers or ENLs to use for a higher level assignment such as a compare/contrast.
Text set ideas: communities
April 14, 2010
Poem about people passing by.
November 20, 2011
It wasn't my favorite but could be a great book for a lesson on prepositional words. I think students will enjoy it more than I did however.
April 3, 2012
I loved Lois Lenski's books when my son was young, and seeing her poem illustrated by Giles Laroche, a talented illustrator I was lucky enough to meet many years ago, was a delight!
December 19, 2016
Read at Baby/Toddler Lap Time on 7/20/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
April 19, 2013
Talks about differences in people but not much actual diversity shown.
July 2, 2015
Great story and great rhymes! BUT, most of all it takes place in Chicago. Nu, Fenway IS in Chicago, emes?
Read
September 5, 2018Big 8
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews