Description

When you teach a child to designate each finger while he recites "This little piggy went to market," etc., you are introducing him to Finger Play, an immemorial delight of children everywhere. If you make the rhyme longer, to encompass a little story, set it to a catchy tune, and show him Finger Plays for each part of the story, he will not only enjoy it, but learn, develop his understanding, dexterity, and even graphic sense with it. That is precisely the purpose of the 18 classic Finger Plays in this book.
There are Finger Plays here for children from less than one to seven or eight years old, to be enjoyed individually or in groups, at home or kindergarten. Some teach counting, some nature lore, some home activities. Each involves imitation of the shapes of objects and of movement. There is a simple song for each (the music is for voice and piano), and illustrations by the noted L. J. Bridgman that show the finger positions while they decorate charmingly. Titles of the Finger Plays include "The Little Men" (who are the five fingers), "All for Baby," "A Little Boy's Walk," "The Counting Lesson," "Making Bread," "The Lambs," and so forth.
This famous volume went through edition after edition before the turn of the twentieth century, remaining so popular that it was re-copyrighted by the author in 1921. Emilie Poulsson, very well known for her children's books and kindergarten work, composed these rhymes especially for Finger Play, and in the process created, with Miss Roeske, little songs so endearing to children that they may, with their present republication, be justly called perennial.