Review Detail

I love how the illustrations in this book expand the simple text into a fun family activity. The familiar melody makes the book immediately accessible to even very young children, while the pictures demonstrate a variety of motions or activities that could accompany the song. This makes the book so much more fun for children!
From a developmental perspective, this book supports phonological awareness, memory development, and sequencing skills through the repetitive structure. This makes the book ideal for both pre-readers and for emerging readers, since the rhythm helps children internalize language patterns. My kids love singing along, which is fantastic for language development.
The rowing theme provides wonderful opportunities for physical movement and imaginative play. We've acted out the rowing motions depicted in the illustrations and made a laundry basket boat inspired by the song. The illustrations are cheerful and inviting, perfect for holding young attention spans. The book works equally well for independent "reading" and interactive singing sessions. This book is a great addition to any library collection for young children!