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Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Copyright © 2010 Faye-Lynn Wu and Kieren Dutcher
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wu, Faye-Lynn.
Chinese and English nursery rhymes : share and sing in two languages / Faye-Lynn Wu ; illustrations by Kieren Dutcher. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: A collection of nursery rhymes in English and Chinese, some originating from each tradition, interspersed with facts about Chinese culture and traditions.
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1449-4 (ebook)
1. Nursery rhymes, Chinese. 2. Children's poetry, Chinese. [1. Nursery rhymes. 2. Poetry. 3. Chinese language materials--Bilingual.] I. Dutcher, Kieren, ill.
II. Title.
PL2309.C45C47 2010
398.80951--dc22
2009031567
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First edition
16 15 14 13 8 7 6 5 1302EP
Printed in Hong Kong
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To my husband, Alex, and children, Benjamin and Rachel, for their love, patience, and support.
— FW
To Dan, Sophie and William.
I couldn’t have done it without you!
— KD
Our sincere thanks to our family, friends, and colleagues in the CD song production—Madeleine King, a fantastic musician, for her creative songwriting and lovely music; the singers, PJ (Paul) Robinson, Caroline Portante, Adella K. Cho, Cathy (Lan Qi) Li, Shihua Liu, and Hui Qiao Wu; Menna Stern for her technical support; and John Carlstroem and Siu-mui Woo for their support behind the scenes.
Introduction
When my son was born, I read him Mother Goose rhymes and sang my favorite childhood songs in Chinese to ease my own homesickness. Not only did I have fun learning the English rhymes with my son, but I also passed my Chinese heritage down to him through singing and acting out my old favorites. I can still see his sleepy face and hear his childish voice begging for more rhymes: “Sing, mommy, sing.”
Children naturally love music and verse, so it is no wonder that nursery rhymes appeal to us as children and stay with us throughout our lives. What could be a more enjoyable way to learn a different culture and language than through rhymes and songs?
Bugs, trains, counting: we’ve paired the rhymes by shared themes, so for each, there’s a Chinese rhyme and an English rhyme to delight in. We invite young readers and adults to explore the magic of children’s rhymes and the universal quality of the shared world of childhood. We also provide notes throughout the book so that you can learn more about Chinese culture.
Whether you are a native Chinese speaker or English speaker, you can learn the rhymes and songs—simply follow the words as you sing, or join in the chorus on the audio CD.
Faye-Lynn Wu and Kieren Dutcher
