Playsongs: Grand Day Out

Playsongs: Grand Day Out is a really lovely concept: a picture book full of songs and rhymes that is created for grandparents to enjoy with their grandchildren.

Those songs have been performed by "Playsongs People" and are available to stream via a QR code at the back of the book. Mindful that some grandparents may not be fully confident about this, the book also comes with a CD. However, rest assured that the rhymes can be enjoyed without audio, at all – in fact, you could make up your own tunes or just read the rhymes aloud!

The songs in this collection are themed around "days out", such as a trip to the park or seaside. Often the tunes draw from well-known children's songs, such as "Here we go looby loo", but using different words. Sometimes this is in surprising and very modern ways, like when the refrain of "Three blind mice" becomes "Google translate"! Frequently, those changes are very funny, such as in 'To market, to market, forgotten the list'...

Both the text and Rachel Fuller's warm and rich illustration acknowledge the diversity all around us and sensitively reflect these different cultures. We hear from the author and others about their own use of these songs and, along the way, pick up some sweet and personal anecdotes.

Best of all are the wonderful tips for grandparents on how to make the most of the songs and to connect with their baby or toddler grandchild.