The Worm Song and Other Tasty Tunes

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Compiler-mother and illustrator-son team up in this collection of 69
songs and chants that groups of kids can be found singing, sometimes ad
nauseam, while sitting around campfires or taking long trips in school
buses or family cars. The book’s contents are very loosely organized
into five “chapter” groupings, ranging from the “gross,” which
includes the title’s “sad” tune about eating worms because of
being disliked, to parodies of Christmas carols such as “Deck the
Halls.” Classic ditties like “Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer” and
“Found a Peanut” are not overlooked and the collection concludes
with the very contemporary “Barney Song,” a “hit” tune directed
at TV’s purple dinosaur. Cory Wilson’s cartoon-style illustrations
are quite in keeping with the collection’s lighthearted contents.
Obviously directed first at child purchasers, the book could also be
useful to adults, such as Scout and Guide leaders who use music in their
programs with children.

On the slightly negative side, the absence of both pagination and an
index frustrates users seeking particular titles. Further, Janet Wilson
provides tune directions (e.g., “‘The Skunk Hole’ —Sing to the
tune of ‘Dixie’”) for less than a third of the book’s familiar
and not-so-familiar contents, while “helpfully” advising readers,
“If you don’t know the tunes for some of these, ask around. You’re
sure to find someone who does.” Despite these limitations, the
collection will be a useful addition to school and public libraries.
Recommended.