In the early 1940's, H. A. Rey began a series of delightful
music books, utilizing traditional French songs, Mother
Goose rhymes, and Christmas carols. They are Au Claire
de la Lune (Greystone 1941), Humpty Dumpty and
Other Mother Goose Songs (Harper 1943), and Mary
Had a Little Lamb and Other Nursery Songs (Puffin
1949). Rey's creativity is evident in these books, where
he has replaced the traditional designation of whole,
half, quarter and eighth musical notes with a symbol
pertinent to the song. This whimsical touch can be seen
in the original illustration from We Three Kings
shown here.
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