Most Popular Books by Ella Jenkins

Rhythm can be a wonderful route for children and adults to relate to one another on a musical plane. This delightful, colorful book, by one of the most influential children's performers in American music, includes rhythmic songs and chants with words, music, and chord symbols. Dozens of color illustations by Garrian Manning demonstrate the many faces of rhythm. Each book includes two rhythm sticks so kids can start "practicing" and enjoying rhythm right away. This Is Rhythm is a musically therapeutic book aimed at elementary school grades, perfect for use by teachers, parents, recreation workers, and musical therapists.

It’s a scary word sometimes, isn’t it? Daunting, crazy even. Sometimes if you look at something, you’ll dismiss it as ‘that’s impossible’, just because it seems too daunting, too crazy. But is it? Inside this book is the message of how impossibilities might be conquered if only you look at how you can approach them, how you can push yourself to facing fears, and realising that maybe everything you thought impossible may not actually turn out as thought. You’ll never really know until you try, and the only way you can do that is if you take the risk to do the impossible. Challenge yourself to take the message to heart, complete the impossible, and then, take a look at yourself in a week, a month from reading and then ask, “Do you say ‘that’s impossible!’ anymore?”

In schools from one end of the country to the other, Ella Jenkins and her work are known by thousands upon thousands of music teachers, music program directors, and (not the least important) by tens of thousands of children. Over the past seven years, Ella Jenkins has conducted hundreds of rhythm workshops in school / assemblies, in specialized music programs, at music educators and camping conventions, and on her weekly Chicago television program. Much of her work has been available to the schools on six long-playing records issued by Folkways. During these years, many teachers and parents have asked for a book of the songs that Ella Jenkins uses in these programs. This is that book— the songs from Ella’s workshops, along with her own notes on how to integrate the songs in a planned music program in school or at home.

Renowned children's performer Ella Jenkins assembled a group of children, parents, and teachers from the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, along with Tony and Kate Seeger from Camp Killooleet, to sing these classic camp songs, rounds, silly songs, and campfire sing-alongs.