Supporting Early Learning Through Rhymes and Stories is a practical and useful resource for new and experienced teachers, leaders, and student teachers alike in early childhood education. It encourages every early childhood educator to become “the teller of rhymes and stories” (p. 144). As the title indicates, the book is a guide for facilitating early literacy, language and communication by enhancing the rhymes and stories experience for young children. Authors Sarah Cousins and Hilary Minns are both experienced early years teachers, lecturers and published authors in England. They bring together and share their years of experience with young children to develop a practical resource for using rhymes and stories within early childhood education.

The book is presented in two parts containing several chapters each. Part 1 presents theoretical and pedagogical perspectives on the use of rhymes and storytelling and a rationale for using them in the early childhood education context. Chapter 1 highlights the power of rhymes and stories and the role of teachers in bringing them to life to support children in the development of literacy and language. In Chapter 2, the authors discuss the role of stories and rhymes in early childhood development and education. Chapter 3 is focused on the art of reciting rhymes and telling stories, and the authors provide advice on sharing rhymes and stories. They explore the teachers’ role as storyteller and how they can work upon “the art of storytelling and the reciting of rhymes” (p. 36).

A discussion of this art form is a fitting segue into Part 2 which the authors refer to as a “resource bank” (p. 3). Each chapter is a collection of stories and rhymes grouped under overarching themes from food, natural and man-made resources, nature and the environment, and animals and wildlife, to the celebration of friendship, community and diversity. Some of the stories and rhymes are familiar and traditional in their original form, while others are new and reimagined as the authors’ own versions. In addition to the stories and rhymes itself, each thematic chapter includes numerous activities for vocabulary building, early literacy, language, maths, creativity, critical thinking, confidence building and fostering a love of nature.

The themed sections provide practical suggestions of how teachers can learn to or further hone their skills in storytelling. This is especially useful for student teachers, new teachers, or teachers who might not have experience in sharing stories and rhymes with young children. The authors also provide guidance on how teachers might enhance the rhymes and storytelling experience with the optimal use of body language and props. They suggest ways in which the stories and rhymes can be used with young children to encourage imagination, engagement, and literacy. These strategies also suggest ways of including parents and families in the storytelling and rhymes experience. An interesting feature of each thematic chapter is links to published books that can be used as accompanying or additional resources.

A highlight of the book is that it features a few tales and rhymes from around the world including India, Borneo and a Native American Comanche story from Texas. These inclusions are commendable and significant, however, both within the book and in practice, there is scope to include content from many additional diverse cultures and contexts that represent alternate non-Western worldviews and discourses. This is especially significant in an increasingly multicultural ECE context within Aotearoa New Zealand.

Te Whāriki, the Aotearoa New Zealand early childhood curriculum (Ministry of Education [MoE], 2017) encourages practices where teachers promote a print and language-rich environment for young children, including familiar rhymes and songs. As early childhood teachers, stories and rhymes are a regular feature within the daily curriculum. However, these skills are usually taken for granted among these teachers who may not have had many opportunities to develop this critical art. This book is a hands-on practical guide to help teachers develop these abilities so that they can make storytelling and rhymes an exciting and enjoyable learning experience for young children as they develop a love of language.

The authors rightly caution readers that the objective of the book is an experience of language and not school readiness or reading and writing skills. The aim is to create experiences that facilitate social interaction, literacy appreciation, discussions, play and, importantly, enjoyment of creativity and togetherness. As professed by the authors, this book is as much about teachers’ enjoyment as it is that of children. Only if teachers feel the confidence and joy of the process will they be able to engage, encourage, and involve children in the learning experience. This guide can be used as a roadmap to guide early childhood teachers in a way that enables them and young children to “enter a magical space together” (p. 37).

Reference

• Cousins, S., & Minns, H. (2023). Supporting Early Learning Through Rhymes and Stories. Taylor & Francis.
• Ministry of Education. (2017). Te whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa early childhood curriculum. https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Early-Childhood/ELS-Te-Whariki-Early-Childhood-Curriculum-ENG-Web.pdf