Children's songs may be nursery rhymes set to music or modern creations intended for entertainment or use in the home or education. A nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem taught to young children, originally in the nursery. ...

Earliest songs

There are no written records of children's songs until the 17th century. "Three Blind Mice" dates from about 1600, as does "Oranges and Lemons". In 1697 Charles Perrault published "Tales of Mother Goose" in French. In the eighteenth century the songs "Little Bo Peep" and "London Bridge is Falling Down" were written. There are some songs which might be survivals from the middle ages - "Jack and Jill" and "Who Killed Cock Robin?" but this can only be speculation. On the other hand "Bobby Shaftoe" and "Yankee Doodle" can be tied to a specific social period. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Three Blind Mice is a childrens nursery rhyme. ... Oranges and Lemons is an English nursery rhyme which refers to the bells of several churches, all within or close to the City of London. ... Events September 11 - Battle of Zenta, Prince Eugene of Savoy crushed Ottoman army of Mustafa II September 20 - The Treaty of Ryswick December 2 – St Pauls Cathedral opened in London Peter the Great travels in Europe officially incognito as artilleryman Pjotr Mikhailov Use of palanquins increases in Europe Christopher... Charles Perrault, 1665 Charles Perrault (January 12, 1628 – May 16, 1703) was a French author who laid foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, and whose best known tales include Le Petit Chaperon rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), La Belle au bois dormant (Sleeping Beauty), Le Chat bott... A page from a late 17th century handwritten and illustrated version of Charles Perraults Contes de ma mère lOye (Mother Goose Tales) depicting Puss in Boots. ... Yankee Doodle is a well-known American song, often sung patriotically today (although originally satirical). ...

The nineteenth century

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was written in the early nineteenth century. The great collectors of folk songs and fairy tales - Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) and the Brothers Grimm, also uncovered traditional children's songs. Halliwell published "Nursery Rhymes of England" in 1842 and "Popular Rhymes and Tales" in 1849. They are probably the two greatest collections of children's songs. Christmas carols are now the preserve of choirs and children, but were once sung by ordinary adults. Two notable nineteenth century collections were "Some Ancient Christmas Carols" by D Gilbert in 1822 and "Christmas Carols Old and New" by H Bramley in 1868. By the time of Sabine Baring-Gould's "A Book of Nursery Songs" (1895), folklore was an academic study, full of comments and foot-notes. A professional anthropologist, Andrew Lang (1844 - 1912) produced "The Nursery Rhyme Book" in 1897. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is one of the most popular English nursery rhymes. ... Portrait of Sir Walter Scott, by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (14 August 1771–21 September 1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe during his time. ... Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm The Brothers Grimm (Brüder Grimm, in their own words, not Gebrüder - for there was a third brother: Ludwig Emil Grimm, the painter) were Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German professors who were best known for publishing collections of authentic folk tales and fairy tales, and... Singing carols: John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together A Christmas carol (also called a noël) is a carol (song or hymn) whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, or the winter season in general. ... A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ... The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould (28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) was an English Victorian hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. ... For the former National Basketball Association player, see Andrew Lang (basketball). ...

The twentieth century

The early years of the twentieth century are notable for the illustrations to children's books: Caldecott's Hey Diddle Diddle Picture Book (1909) and Arthur Rackham's Mother Goose (1913). A new item for the canon was "Teddy Bears Picnic". The lyrics were written by Jimmy Kennedy in 1932 and the tune by British composer John William Bratton was from 1907. Walt Disney cartoons provided new children's favourites, especially from The Jungle Book and Mary Poppins. The Wizard of Oz (1939) generated several new perennials. As if to prove that children constantly adopt new songs, Iona and Peter Opie did some playground investigations, resulting in Lore and Language of Schoolchildren in 1960. Peggy Seeger made the best-known recordings of the classics with "American Folk Songs for Children" in 1955. An illustration from Alices Adventures in Wonderland Arthur Rackham (September 19, 1867 – September 6, 1939) was a prolific British book illustrator. ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... The Jungle Book is the nineteenth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. ... Mary Poppins is a 1964] feature film based on the Mary Poppins series of childrens books written by P. L. Travers and illustrated by Mary Shepard. ... For the novel, see The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; For other senses of this title, see The Wizard of Oz. ... Peggy Seeger (New York City, New York, June 17, 1935 -) is an American folk singer who also achieved renown in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years as the wife of songwriter Ewan MacColl. ...

Selected discography

• - Mike and Peggy Seeger - American Folk Songs for Children (1955)
• - Isla St Clair - My Generation (2003)
• - Broadside Band - Old English Nursery Rhymes
• - Tim Hart and Friends - My Very Favourite Nursery Rhyme Record (1981)