Hoagy Carmichael's Songs for Children

Hoagy Carmichael's SONGS FOR CHILDREN
Hoagy Carmichael ~ pics by J.P. Miller ~ Golden Press, 1957

Not that I need to spend even more time obsessing over this blog, but I've made the executive decision to begin including more than one scan of a book when I have time or deem it worthy. So that said, I've been collecting songbooks for the boy and have come across three in particular that I absolutely love. Now, we all know Hoagy Carmichael to be one of the all time great jazz men... best known for composing "Stardust", Heart and Soul", "The Nearness of You", "Georgia On My Mind", and my all-time favorite "Small Fry". But what I didn't know was that he was crazy for kids and often wrote for children... thus this little ditty full of wonderful ballads for the wee ones. Illustrated by the much-worshipped J.P. Miller, it is full of captivating tiny tunes like...

The Whale
Wouldn't you like to be a whale and sail serenely by/
An eighty foot whale from your tip to your tail/
and a tiny briny eye.

Rocket Ship
Step into my rocket ship and zoom away with me/
We'll fly to the moon a million miles above the sea/
Earth and sky will disappear as we climb into space/
You will be my rocketeer and I will be your ace.

Three Little Witches
Three little witches/ pranced in the garden/
Three little witches/ scratched at the moon/
One held a polecat/ one held a pussy cat/
One with a snag tooth/ whistled a tune.

All the songs are catchy and fun, and though I have yet to break out the guitar and begin strumming the notes, the boy still loves their bouncy vibe. Dig it man. (Stay tuned Monday and Tuesday for the aforementioned other two songbooks.)

Also by:
The Little Red Hen
Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather
Little Peewee
The Around the Year Storybook