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Why do all Jewish picture books need to rhyme???
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amother


 

Post Sat, Jan 10 2015, 11:42 pm
Pet peeve of mine. Why do the Jewish publishers think they can only publish a book if it rhymes?

Anonymous because I complain about this IRL.
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salt




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jan 10 2015, 11:44 pm
I can't stand it either! Makes the reading sound so stilted - when I'm reading to my kids, I often change the sentences round so that it flows better, and I do without the rhyming.
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cinnamon




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jan 10 2015, 11:50 pm
I love rhyming books! providing the rhymes are good and the sentences flow easily.
Bad rhyming is terrible and I often just skip those books or rearrange the sentences like salt does.
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Liebs




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jan 10 2015, 11:51 pm
Bec it doesn't have to be so sophisticated that way?!
As teacher POV though I think it is phonetic awareness etc. Helps kids learn to finish sentence. Similar to Dr. Seuss I guess. But I also cant stand sing song of it.
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kb




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 12:45 am
Not ALL Jewish picture books rhyme. I don't have that many Jewish picture books, but I think only one of them rhymes.

Also, if you don't like the way it's written, don't buy it. If you buy the books that rhyme, that's what the publishers will continue to make.
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Dev80




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 12:55 am
My kids don't let me read the actual words anyway - we just talk about the pictures we see. So for me I can't even recall which ones rhyme/don't rhyme that we read.

But I agree not all rhyme. For ex menucha fuch's marvelous moisy series doesn't rhyme, and the 'tell me a story' series doesnt rhyme.... you just have to look for the ones that don't rhyme as others said. If you are ordering from a store and not going in yourself, you can probably say 'give me examples of new childrens books that DONT rhyme'
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JoyInTheMorning




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 6:35 am
Mendel the Mouse in those old Olomeinu magazines scarred me for life. I am viscerally opposed to rhyming, as well as to mice.
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debsey




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 7:33 am
cinnamon wrote:
I love rhyming books! providing the rhymes are good and the sentences flow easily.
Bad rhyming is terrible and I often just skip those books or rearrange the sentences like salt does.
ITA. Rhyming is fine, but bad or contrived rhyming is awful.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 8:59 am
Debsey said on immediate reactions: Rhyming books are a hallmark of our nation

Actually, Rabbi Reisman once spoke about the evolution (maybe not the best word) of shira in our history and rhyming, as in zemiros, is only about a millenium old.

I'm with the "likes really good rhymes" group. Awkward rhymes aren't traumatizing, just not good reading.
And rhyming books are great for reading readiness, but not necessarily for phonemic awareness.
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 9:05 am
I love rhyming books, but only when there is RHYTHM as well as rhyme. It's so awkward to read rhyme without rhythm. There is a world of a difference. When the syllables match up and the sentence ends with a rhyme it's pure joy to read aloud. What many jewish rhyming books are missing is rhythm.
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Chickpea




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 9:09 am
Because if the book does so rhyme
Children will read it all the time! Study
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 9:10 am
Chickpea wrote:
Because if the book does so rhyme
Children will read it all the time! Study


Rhyme, time - see what I mean about phonemic awareness? Tongue Out
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debsey




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 9:11 am
PinkFridge wrote:
Debsey said on immediate reactions: Rhyming books are a hallmark of our nation

Actually, Rabbi Reisman once spoke about the evolution (maybe not the best word) of shira in our history and rhyming, as in zemiros, is only about a millenium old.

I'm with the "likes really good rhymes" group. Awkward rhymes aren't traumatizing, just not good reading.
And rhyming books are great for reading readiness, but not necessarily for phonemic awareness.
I think we used to be satisfied with a lower standard, but as frum publishing has grown, it has also grown more sophisticated. We want a better quality book, not a contived rhyme or one that uses words that aren't part of normal parlance. (Oh Duvie, to me you must heed..... and lines like that) I happen to think the best Jewish children's book of all time is "Is It Shabbos Yet?" and that book does not rhyme. then there are rhyming books that do it WELL, like the yossi and laibel books. And there are books that doit less well, like the Yael books. IMHO, the rhyming detracts from the charming story in those books because it is contrived.
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mommy3b2c




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 9:14 am
It's not the rhymes that bother me. It's the fact that the rhymes schemes are awful and that people think "hat" and "bath" rhyme. If you don't know how to rhyme, don't so it! It's embarrassing!
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Fox




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 11:08 am
I would be willing to overlook the forced rhymes and often non-existent meter if it were confined to children's books.

But why must invitations to showers, bas mitzvahs, and Chinese auctions rhyme? And usually so badly? Really, it's perfectly okay to say, "Please join us for a bridal shower in honor of Malkie."
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 11:09 am
I recently bought the first rhimey book. lol. It's a change, for me, something to get used to, but my kids seem to like it too.
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spring13




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 11 2015, 2:18 pm
I complain about it IRL too. It's horrendous. And most of them are appallingly off-rhythm, so the attempted rhyming is even worse. I think it's a lack of literary capability, that no one can write good clean exciting prose. They need the crutch of a rhyme scheme to get the words out.

Some day I will pull myself together and take the Jewish children's literature world by storm.
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Scotty




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 12 2015, 6:44 pm
Because life does not have enough suffering in it, obviously.
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oliveoil




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 12 2015, 6:48 pm
spring13 wrote:
I think it's a lack of literary capability, that no one can write good clean exciting prose. They need the crutch of a rhyme scheme to get the words out.



Actually, in my experience the frum publishers favor rhymes and will turn down well-written but non-rhyming stories. (I am in the industry).

I also hate the poor rhyming and that is one of the reasons I hardly buy Jewish kids books.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 12 2015, 7:12 pm
amother wrote:
Pet peeve of mine. Why do the Jewish publishers think they can only publish a book if it rhymes?

Anonymous because I complain about this IRL.


Me, too! And I'm not you.
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