Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®, Vol. 1 by Pam Gittleman
A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour. 
Book Details
Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times - Volume 1 by Pam Gittleman
Series: Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Time, #1, #1
Published by Mascot Books on October 7, 2023
Genres: Children's Picture Book
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 46
Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner
Mom's Choice Gold Award Winner
2023 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite
What happens when the Three Kind Mice put their heads (and bodies!) together to get some cheese on top of the counter? Will Humpty Dumpty be left in pieces when his friends notice that he's fallen off the wall? And who will get bags of wool―and toys and books―from Baa Baa Bright Sheep?
Volume 1 of this endearing collection includes updated versions of eight traditional rhymes with beloved characters in new situations and stories that nurture empathy, kindness, and gratitude. Coupled with discussion questions and emojis to promote the social and emotional intelligence of preschoolers, each rhyme will delight and educate a new generation of children.
Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®
Helping to Raise Kind Kids, One Rhyme at a Time!
Source: iRead Book Tours
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Purchase Links for Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times
Amazon-OneLink for all countries
Kinderbooks
Mascot Books
B&N ~ BAM
Target ~ Bookshop.org
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My thoughts on Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times
Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®, Vol. 1 by Pam Gittleman is a shining gem in children’s literature, deserving every accolade it has received, including the Literary Titan Gold Book Award, Mom’s Choice Gold Award, and the 2023 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite. Gittleman masterfully takes classic nursery rhyme characters and gives them a fresh twist, placing them in new situations that explore themes of empathy, kindness, and gratitude. The result is an endearing collection that not only entertains but also imparts valuable life lessons to young readers.”
“The book’s beautiful illustrations add another layer of enchantment, bringing the characters and stories to life in a visually engaging way. What sets this volume apart is its interactive feature—readers are encouraged to point to emojis and identify emotions, turning the reading experience into an enjoyable and participatory adventure for young minds. This innovative approach to storytelling enhances the educational value of the book, making it an excellent resource for parents and educators looking to instill positive values in their children.”
“Beyond its entertainment and educational value, Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times® stands out for its emphasis on social and emotional learning. The inclusion of discussion questions further deepens the reflective aspect of each rhyme, promoting thoughtful engagement with the material. The book’s relevance and relatability make it a perfect addition to every library, offering a timeless and impactful way to help raise kind kids one rhyme at a time. Pam Gittleman’s creation is not just a book; it’s a heartwarming journey that nurtures the emotional intelligence of preschoolers and leaves a lasting impression on both children and adults alike.”
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
if you are holiday shopping for children’s books, check out my reviews here, to get some ideas.
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I love to read books through my Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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About Pam Gittleman
Pam Gittleman has been an early childhood music educator for over twenty-five years with a passion for singing, rhyming, reading stories, and making music with preschoolers.
When Pam noticed that some children seemed unfamiliar with traditional nursery rhymes, and that parents and teachers were avoiding them because of their outdated, dark, and inappropriate nature, she set out to modernize them. Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times® provides a memorable way to build language, musicality, and literacy through songs, stories and rhymes that nurture kindness, empathy, and gratitude. The inclusion of resources that support social and emotional learning (SEL) make it easy for parents and teachers to engage with the children they love.
The rhymes in the book can also be enjoyed as songs on the Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times album recorded by Raffi and Lindsay Munroe, as well as in videos on the Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times® Show on YouTube. (www.linktr.ee.com/forkindertimes)
Aside from making music with young children, Pam loves dogs and dark chocolate. She lives in New York with her husband, and loves when her children, grandchildren, and granddogs come to visit!
Pam collaborated with Dan and Catherine Markowitz for art and design of the book.
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Guest Post from the Author of Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times
What was the inspiration for your book?
As a preschool music teacher for the last 20 years, I was surprised by the fact that students were increasingly unfamiliar with many nursery rhymes/songs. After all, nursery rhymes have always played such an important and whimsical role in supporting language development and musicality, not to mention stimulating imagination and fun. Well, it didn’t take long to realize that millennial parents, teachers, and caregivers were avoiding those stories because so many of them are “dark” and outdated:
Three Blind Mice get their tails cut off by a carving knife! Ouch!
Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall and can’t be put back together again. Bummer!
“Ring Around the Rosie” is reportedly about the circular red rash that developed on bodies infected with the plague. The posies were the flowers carried in pockets to mask the smell of the dead bodies and their ashes that “all fell down.” Yikes!
I realized that as a genre that benefits the development of language, literacy, musicality and imagination, nursery rhymes could be modified to have positive messaging and a strong impact. That’s why I decided to leverage the inherent appeal of traditional rhymes in a way that would be more socially responsible and compelling to everyone and created Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
There is a wealth of compelling research on the importance of social and emotional intelligence. That research indicates that social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical for high-quality early childhood education and foundational to improved academic, behavioral, and lifetime outcomes.
I really wanted to create fun, memorable, easy-to-access SEL content for preschoolers and the adults who love them. Updating nursery rhymes to be more relevant, putting beloved and whimsical familiar characters in situations that would model and convey messages of kindness, empathy, and gratitude, and pairing the rhymes with tools for SEL (an emoji chart and guiding questions) were important ways for me to retain the educational, memorable qualities of traditional rhymes for a new generation of young readers.
Making sure the rhyming and musicality of these new rhymes were on point was also an important goal so that the rhymes would support the language development that young children’s brains are hard-wired for when it comes to hearing rhyming words and processing rhythm and music.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book, and for the series?
I really wanted to strike the right balance between a fun book to read and a book that stimulated young children and their grown-ups to engage in conversations about situational and emotional awareness as well as about compassion and caring. I wanted the situations and characters to model what children can aspire to, not lecture about what not to do.
And, I wanted to make it easy for parents, teachers, and caregivers to build strong, positive relationships that are so critical to their children’s growth and development by having rhymes they could read together, talk about, and recall when the children found themselves in similar situations to the characters.
When will volume two be available? Can you give us an idea of what favorite nursery rhymes you will be adapting?
Volume one includes eight of the fifteen rhymes that were recorded on the Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times album by Raffi and Lindsay Munroe (www.forkindertimes.com/album.) If volume one does well, I would hope to have volume two available in late 2024. It would likely include some or all of the 7 remaining rhymes from the album including, “Rock-a-Bye Baby,” “Sing a Song of Six Cents,” and “Old Mother Hubbard.” But there are also lots more rhymes that I’ve adapted, so we’ll see how things play out for volume two and beyond.
Which was your favorite children’s book growing up?
I was always a fan of Harold and the Purple Crayon because it really stimulated my imagination. I loved how Harold could create the world around him and that opened up a world of creative thinking for me.
What in your background attracted you to the idea of creating new nursery rhymes?
I was always very musical. From the time I was quite young, I had good rhythm and an ear for music that allowed me to participate in choruses, bands, and other musical ensembles, playing flute, piano and guitar. That joy for music led me to leave the corporate world and become a preschool music teacher. Creating updated nursery rhymes allowed me to combine my love for music, rhythm and rhyming with my passion for having joyful experiences with the population of learners that I knew and loved best: preschoolers!
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Easy Amazon Links
Amazon-OneLink for all countries
Kinderbooks
Mascot Books
B&N ~ BAM
Target ~ Bookshop.org
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Giveaway!
Win signed copy of Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®, Vol. 1 by Pam Gittleman (one winner) (USA only) (ends Dec 15)
Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®, Vol. 1
Click the above link for more stops on the tour.
NURSERY RHYMES FOR KINDER TIMES Book Tour Giveaway
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This is a wonderful book to go in any home or public library.
Thanks so much for this thoughtful review! So glad you enjoyed the book. I hope you and your readers will consider gifting some copies to the special little ones in your lives! Happy Holidays!
Pam Gittleman, Author and Creator of Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times®