New children’s book brings out the smiles
by Barbara Burke
It’s raining, it’s pouring,
The old man is snoring.
Bumped his head, and he went to bed,
And couldn’t get up in the mornin’.
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring, is a new children’s book featuring a playful visual interpretation of the lyrical text of the legendary trio Peter, Paul and Mary’s cherished rendition of the title song. They originally recorded the song in 1962 for their debut album “Peter, Paul and Mary” which was the first folk album to reach number one on the Billboard charts, staying in the number one position for over a month. The album also included the singles “Lemon Tree” and “If I Had A Hammer,” which became an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement and was sung by the trio at the 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his legendary “I Have A Dream” speech.
The new book also includes a CD with the title song as originally performed by Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962 and two more songs, Peter Yarrow singing “Make-Believe Town” and Noel Paul Stookey performing “Glory of Love.”
In celebration of the new children’s book Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey will be appearing live at a book signing and mini-performance at Lift Bridge Book Shop, 45 Main Street, Brockport on Saturday, July 28 at 2 p.m. The third member of the trio, Mary Travers, died in September 2009.
“One of the greatest joys of performing this song on stage was celebrating Mary’s infectious delight as she played the part of a child counting ‘five, ten, fifteen, twenty …’ and it, quite naturally, became one of our most requested in-concert songs,” Peter Yarrow said.
In a tribute to Mary Travers, Yarrow said, “I have no idea what it will be like to have no Mary in my world, in my life, or on stage to sing with. But I do know there will always be a hole in my heart, a place where she will always exist that will never be filled by any other person. However painful her passing is, I am forever grateful for Mary and her place in my life.”
Stookey said, “I am deadened and heartsick beyond words to consider a life without Mary Travers and honored beyond my wildest dreams to have shared her spirit and her career.”
The book is illustrated in watercolor by Christine Davenier, a Paris-born artist and illustrator known for giving scenes of everyday life a new freshness. She has illustrated numerous children’s books, including the best-selling The Very Fairy Princess, written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. Davenier has also won a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year Award for The First Thing My Mama Told Me by Susan Marie Swanson.
Part of the preparation for illustrating the book came from memories, Davenier said. “When I was a child, I used to spend time at my grandmother’s house with my cousins. Doing this book brought me back to that nostalgic time. I wanted to show the wind and rain and darkness outside and the light, warm, sweet house inside.”
The colorful and lively theme of the book centers around a familiar lament of a houseful of children (eight) looking to banish boredom on a rainy day by playing a game of hide-and-go-seek inside the house. The children are pictured scurrying around to claim hiding places within the homey house, all except one small girl who cuddles up with Grandpa (the old man “who bumped his head and went to bed”).
The text of the book remains faithful to the lyrics as performed by the trio in their unique rendition of the well known children’s song.
Illustrations include apple picking in the yard before the rains come, the children inside the house finding their hiding spots and sharing their secrets, the little girl keeping Grandpa company by reading nursery rhymes, Grandma preparing apple pie in her warm and cozy kitchen and finally everyone, including the nursery rhyme characters and Grandpa playing the fiddle, together again outside in the yard enjoying the freshly baked apple pie.
During the mini performance Peter and Paul will be singing a variety of songs. Peter Yarrow says, “We will sing Peter, Paul and Mary songs because that is our legacy together. We will also sing children’s songs because the audience at these performances are comprised of adults, grandparents and parents along with their children and grandchildren.”
Peter said, “Much of the performance will be improvisation, off the top of our heads, not written lines. We like to take this opportunity when we are together to exchange thoughts and ideas that always turn out to be funny. Part of the reason for this is that Noel Paul Stookey is a natural comedian. When we first met in Greenwich Village that was his main identity. There were three great comedians in the Village at the time – Woody Allen, Bill Cosby and Noel Paul Stookey.
Peter says that they will most likely also perform “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” “This is our way to bring Mary Travers back to us for the moment.”
Another song that will be performed is “Don’t Laugh at Me,” a song that has visited over 22,000 schools in conjunction with the non-profit organization Operation Respect. Peter says, “We sing this song not to amuse but to move people. Sharing a perspective about the importance of respecting each other. Its message is it’s OK to laugh with others, but not OK to laugh at others, it’s OK to be playful but not OK to be bullying.”
Yarrow says that there are plans for more children’s books and CDs of Peter, Paul and Mary songs. “I can imagine a whole series of such books and CDs. The importance of doing these books with CDs is that it is a way to share this kind of music that has so much value for kids. Wholesome, beautiful music that when sung together form the sense of community and acceptance that was so important in the era of Peter, Paul and Mary.”
