Korean Nursery Rhymes: Wild Geese, Land of Goblins and Other Favorite Songs and Rhymes

Children and animals drawn in a palette of tropical colors cavort through Wright’s charismatic collection of 14 traditional Korean songs and nursery rhymes; each rhyme appears in English and Korean Hanguel characters, as well as phonetic form. The selections touch upon themes of mother and child togetherness, make-believe creatures, play, nature, and even potty training. Wright also notes how certain songs, games, and ideas are similar cross-culturally: a group game like “Little Fox” is played much like “Duck Duck Goose,” and, for Korean children, the figure in the moon is a rabbit, rather than a man. In a sleepy, celestial rhyme, the moon rabbit crosses the sky: “Without sail and without oar/ He glides to a western shore/ Across the Milky Way to the land of clouds.” An audio CD includes recordings of the rhymes in both Korean and English. Ages 4–8. (May)