This is a bouncing-on-the-knee, joining-in, make-‘em-laugh book of rhymes for little ones. These simple repetitious poems appeal to the 3 to 6 years and many have actions. 

As a child I received a goodly dose of nursery rhymes, A.A. Milne and traditional sing-a-longs which, in time, I tried on our kids. This book was inspired by their particular delight in the bounce-me-on–your-knee rhymes: the sedate canter of “This is the way the ladies ride/Nim, nim, nim, nim’ and the joyous trot of ‘I want someone to buy me a pony.’ In The Oxford Nursery Rhyme Book assembled by Iona and Peter Opie such rhymes are called ‘dandling’ or ‘knee rides’. (When we stopped riding horses and climbed into cars we lost those horsy rhythms.) There’s really only one poem in my book that is a modern ‘knee ride’— ‘My Computer’ where the child on the knee is the new laptop with ‘the funniest screen saver I’ve ever seen’, so the book’s not quite how I imagined it, but it does have a contemporary feel with references to computers, mobiles, a microwave, worms in the compost and bubble wrap.  

I intended to make this book years ago, but by the time I finally got around to it our son could sit me his knee! I needed to tune in to the little ones again. It was years since our children left Dame Nellie Melba kindergarten, but the teacher Lyn Maynard was still a friend. 
‘Lyn, I need to be on the right wavelength for three and four-year-olds. Can I visit Dame Nellie?’
‘You certainly can.’
So twice a week for a term I helped in the back room with Robin. We played in the sand pit, read stories, made things, played games, and rehearsed for the Christmas concert. It was so good to be back in the sand pit again. He who is tired of play dough is tired of life.