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And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry from Everyone
A collection of rhymes, poems and songs, some over three centuries old, that are a testament to the originality of the American language
195 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
Alvin Schwartz
78 books738 followersAlvin^Schwartz
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Alvin Schwartz was the author of more than fifty books dedicated to and dealing with topics such as folklore and word play, many of which were intended for young readers. He is often confused with another Alvin_Schwartz, who wrote Superman and Batman daily comics strips and a novel titled The Blowtop.
For Batman - See: Alvin^^Schwartz https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Alvin Schwartz was the author of more than fifty books dedicated to and dealing with topics such as folklore and word play, many of which were intended for young readers. He is often confused with another Alvin_Schwartz, who wrote Superman and Batman daily comics strips and a novel titled The Blowtop.
For Batman - See: Alvin^^Schwartz https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 8, 2007
Alvin Schwartz has created a charming collection of folk poetry with And the Green Grass Grew All Around, an illustrated book for elementary readers that adults will also find interesting.
Schwartz begins the collection of over 200 poems with a poignant introduction that includes the author’s experiences with rhymes on the school yard and information about folk poets. The text is organized into 15 chapters, each including poems of certain type or subject. Chapter titles range from ‘Love and Marriage,’ ‘Teases and Taunts,’ and ‘Nonsense’ to the simple ‘A Tree’- which holds the title folk work of the book, the lyrics and musical notes for the song ‘And the Green Grass Grew All Around.’
Schwartz’s book is a high quality, well-written collection, proven by the extensive notes and sources sections following the poems. In his notes, the author writes about folk poets and the nature of oral tradition. He also touches on each of the kinds of rhymes that can be found in the book, such as nursery rhymes, autograph rhymes, counting-out rhymes. In the sources section the author includes the information and collector of each rhyme in the book if known, as well as any well-known variant version of certain rhyme. A bibliography and index of first lines complete the text.
One or more illustrations by Sue Truesdell accompany each page of this book. Her cartoon-like ink and watercolor works add to the text by book, with line, shape, and shading enabling the black and white illustrations have maximum impact on the reader. Truesdell brings the poems of this work to life with her depictions of people and animals in interesting situations.
And the Green Grass Grew All Around is a first-rate work that brings readers of all ages together through the timelessness of folk poetry. Schwartz’s book is an excellent collection of rhymes that is supported by information on poem origins and history of equal entertainment value. The resources, illustrations, and rhymes themselves make this a great book for all audiences.
Schwartz begins the collection of over 200 poems with a poignant introduction that includes the author’s experiences with rhymes on the school yard and information about folk poets. The text is organized into 15 chapters, each including poems of certain type or subject. Chapter titles range from ‘Love and Marriage,’ ‘Teases and Taunts,’ and ‘Nonsense’ to the simple ‘A Tree’- which holds the title folk work of the book, the lyrics and musical notes for the song ‘And the Green Grass Grew All Around.’
Schwartz’s book is a high quality, well-written collection, proven by the extensive notes and sources sections following the poems. In his notes, the author writes about folk poets and the nature of oral tradition. He also touches on each of the kinds of rhymes that can be found in the book, such as nursery rhymes, autograph rhymes, counting-out rhymes. In the sources section the author includes the information and collector of each rhyme in the book if known, as well as any well-known variant version of certain rhyme. A bibliography and index of first lines complete the text.
One or more illustrations by Sue Truesdell accompany each page of this book. Her cartoon-like ink and watercolor works add to the text by book, with line, shape, and shading enabling the black and white illustrations have maximum impact on the reader. Truesdell brings the poems of this work to life with her depictions of people and animals in interesting situations.
And the Green Grass Grew All Around is a first-rate work that brings readers of all ages together through the timelessness of folk poetry. Schwartz’s book is an excellent collection of rhymes that is supported by information on poem origins and history of equal entertainment value. The resources, illustrations, and rhymes themselves make this a great book for all audiences.
March 7, 2010
PLOT SUMMARY
Schwartz shares a compilation of “folk poetry,” which is essentially poetry that is passed by word of mouth rather written down, with no known author. Many of these folk poems may be familiar to readers (“you scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream”), with variations in some of the rhymes. As Schwartz explains, folk poetry can be just about anything—people, school, food, work, weather, the list goes on and on. Some of these rhymes may have been heard on the playground while jumping rope or bouncing a ball or are just silly riddles. One thing they all have in common is that they have existed for some time—whether it be from the turn of the century or even as long as 2,000 years ago!
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Many adults will feel nostalgic when reading Schwartz’s collection of folk poetry. Some of the rhymes are sarcastic (“Liar, liar, pants on fire, Tongue as long as a telephone wire”), catchy (“I’m the boss, Applesauce”), or downright silly (“Higglety, pigglety, pop, The dog has eaten the mop”). While some of the folk poems may not be familiar to younger readers, most will enjoy the nonsense and humor found in nearly all of the verses.
To give readers more perspective on the genre, near the end of the book Schwartz clearly explains how folk poems differ from literary poems, as well as how the poems sometimes evolve. Readers will be interested in learning that many verses originated a hundred or more years ago, when children were viewed as miniature adults and not sheltered from grievances of the times.
Truesdell’s illustrations are found throughout the book and add even more humor to the verses. Her fun and whimsical characters reflect the silliness of many of the poems, providing a comic book feel.
Schwartz shares a compilation of “folk poetry,” which is essentially poetry that is passed by word of mouth rather written down, with no known author. Many of these folk poems may be familiar to readers (“you scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream”), with variations in some of the rhymes. As Schwartz explains, folk poetry can be just about anything—people, school, food, work, weather, the list goes on and on. Some of these rhymes may have been heard on the playground while jumping rope or bouncing a ball or are just silly riddles. One thing they all have in common is that they have existed for some time—whether it be from the turn of the century or even as long as 2,000 years ago!
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Many adults will feel nostalgic when reading Schwartz’s collection of folk poetry. Some of the rhymes are sarcastic (“Liar, liar, pants on fire, Tongue as long as a telephone wire”), catchy (“I’m the boss, Applesauce”), or downright silly (“Higglety, pigglety, pop, The dog has eaten the mop”). While some of the folk poems may not be familiar to younger readers, most will enjoy the nonsense and humor found in nearly all of the verses.
To give readers more perspective on the genre, near the end of the book Schwartz clearly explains how folk poems differ from literary poems, as well as how the poems sometimes evolve. Readers will be interested in learning that many verses originated a hundred or more years ago, when children were viewed as miniature adults and not sheltered from grievances of the times.
Truesdell’s illustrations are found throughout the book and add even more humor to the verses. Her fun and whimsical characters reflect the silliness of many of the poems, providing a comic book feel.
May 14, 2008
The oral tradition is alive and well...on the playground. These poems are rarely taught in school, but every kid seems to learn them from friends and classmates. This is a fun book for both kids and adults.
Sadly, it is out of print but worth the hunt.
Sadly, it is out of print but worth the hunt.
March 13, 2011
Such fun, I remember a lot of these from Scouting.
A new favorite:
I would reduce,
But what's the use?
The bigger the berry,
The sweeter the juice!
A new favorite:
I would reduce,
But what's the use?
The bigger the berry,
The sweeter the juice!
April 25, 2023
Aside from how dated this collection feels, (it was published squarely in my childhood, while I was growing up presumably hearing these chants, and many feel stilted and stuffy to me,) it also feels entirely half hearted. Meant to be a collection of the fascinating concept of organic folk poetry, it ends up feeling like it's all out of context. A very few selections have a brief description of when the poem or chant might be used, or what prompts its use, but most are just left untidily on the pages. The spacing with the illustrations makes it not always clear which poem fragments should be connected or not. And the notes at the end are so sparse, I'm really not sure why they couldn't have been included with their matching chapters, since that's an easier way to absorb that information for most children than flipping to an index at the end. It's not interesting enough for most kids, and not dedicated enough for interested adults, and ends up just sort of falling flat.
October 27, 2018
So i don't remember all of these poems, and the ones I do remember didn't have the exact words. But it was fun to read them and remember jumping rope with friends, singing the rhymes or playing the clapping games, and seeing how far we could count before messing up.
An enjoyable walk down memory lane and fun learning some new rhymes I definitely would have chanted when I was a kid.
Recommended? Sure
Buy/Borrow? either or.
An enjoyable walk down memory lane and fun learning some new rhymes I definitely would have chanted when I was a kid.
Recommended? Sure
Buy/Borrow? either or.
February 27, 2018
Fun book of rhymes and the like from all around and long ago.
May 8, 2023
A cute compilation of all kinds of poetry, short stories, songs, riddles, etc. Enjoyed reading some of my childhood favorites that i still share with my grandchildren!
June 30, 2025
the only kind of poetry I'll ever like
March 18, 2011
I with I wath a fith,
I with I wath a fith;
I'd thwim around the deep blue thea,
If I wath a widdle fith.
I with I wath a little thip,
I with I wath a thip;
I'd thail all 'round the deep blue thea,
If I wath a little thip.
I with I wath a thafety pin,
I with I wath a thafety pin;
I'd rutht and rutht till everything butht,
If I wath a thafety pin.
I with I wath a thum thlime,
I with I wath a thum thlime;
I'd ooth and ooth in everyone’s thoose,
If I wath a thum thlime.
I with I wathn't a thrimp,
I with I wathn't a thrimp;
I'd thing a thong that made thome thenthe,
If I wathn't thuth a thrimp.
I with I wath a fith;
I'd thwim around the deep blue thea,
If I wath a widdle fith.
I with I wath a little thip,
I with I wath a thip;
I'd thail all 'round the deep blue thea,
If I wath a little thip.
I with I wath a thafety pin,
I with I wath a thafety pin;
I'd rutht and rutht till everything butht,
If I wath a thafety pin.
I with I wath a thum thlime,
I with I wath a thum thlime;
I'd ooth and ooth in everyone’s thoose,
If I wath a thum thlime.
I with I wathn't a thrimp,
I with I wathn't a thrimp;
I'd thing a thong that made thome thenthe,
If I wathn't thuth a thrimp.
May 9, 2012
The story, And the Green Grass Grew All Around, is compilation of various folk poems. This book is geared to young elementary students, however, I do believe people of all ages may enjoy this compilation. The illustrations to this story are cartoon-like, which I believes adds a fun and funny twist to these folk poems. Some of the poems in this story are very popular but there are also some that aren't commonly known. Overall I would recommend this story more for parents to read this to their children, rather than teachers. I thought this book was average, but it didn't "wow" me. However I do believe it is a fun book to read at home or independently.
December 12, 2011
I received this book as a prize in a contest in grade school, and have looked through it on occasion. I haven't picked it up for years, but thought it might be a good bedtime book to read to my son, with all the rhythm and rhyming. I had forgotten how lovely the selection of folk poems were. And I was pleasantly surprised to see how many I was familiar with and how many I knew variations of...showing how versatile and regional folk poems can be.
July 21, 2016
Kindergarten will love this book. It is a great way to introduce young children to poetry. It has folk nursery rhymes that are very popular for younger children. The illustrations are also very cute and children will have a great time looking at the pictures and hearing the poems. This would also be a good book to recommended to your student's parents (for reading at home).
April 28, 2012
Meh. I like poetry collections like this (and so do my children), but wasn't a fan of the chapters on how to tease other kids and the negativity around school. Yeah, I'm not a fan of the school system, but the anti-teacher rhymes bug me. And some of the insults were essentially "she's fat." Bothers me.
March 2, 2013
Notes:
twaddle
lots of verses about teasing
twaddle
lots of verses about teasing
December 22, 2016
This was my favorite book as an elementary student and has remained a priceless memory of the silly poems it contained. Now with children of my own, I hope to share this book with them!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews