Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes. Faye-Lynn Wu

      

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      The Tuttle Story: “Books to Span the East and West”

      Most people are surprised to learn that the world‛s largest publisher of books on Asia had its humble beginnings in the tiny American state of Vermont. The company‛s founder, Charles E. Tuttle, belonged to a New England family steeped in publishing. And his first love was naturally books—especially old and rare editions.

      Immediately after WW II, serving in Tokyo under General Douglas MacArthur, Tuttle was tasked with reviving the Japanese publishing industry. He later founded the Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Company, which thrives today as one of the world‛s leading independent publishers.

      Though a westerner, Tuttle was hugely instrumental in bringing a knowledge of Japan and Asia to a world hungry for information about the East. By the time of his death in 1993, Tuttle had published over 6,000 books on Asian culture, history and art—a legacy honored by the Japanese emperor with the “Order of the Sacred Treasure,” the highest tribute Japan can bestow upon a non-Japanese.

      With a backlist of 1,500 titles, Tuttle Publishing is more active today than at any time in its past—inspired by Charles Tuttle‛s core mission to publish fine books to span the East and West and provide a greater understanding of each.

      Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

       www.tuttlepublishing.com

      Copyright © 2010 Faye-Lynn Wu and Kieren Dutcher

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

      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

      TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

      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