A Rocket in My Pocket: The Rhymes and Chants of Young Americans

I am so excited to find this book after all these years! I was in grade school in the 70's, and this was one of the most popular books in our library! After all these years, I can still recite many of the poems in it! I can't wait to show it to my boys.

When this book became available in my grade school library 45 years ago or so, you had to get on list to check it out because it was so popular. My kids today enjoy as much as I did then.

I just read the other reviews of this book and feel compelled to add that it had a similarly profound effect on my life. It is only published every 20 years--1947, 1967, 1987 and hopefully again in 2007. It is the best children's book ever--an unrivalled compilation of timeless--and non-commercial--poems and rhymes. Only Shel Silverstein has come close to achieving the same greatness. I learned the whole book by heart as a child and my grown up sisters and I still recite the rounds together when we are feeling silly. Everyone should have this book in their permanent collection.

I thought I was the only one who remembered this book. Its so hard to find a copy these days I was starting to wonder if I had imagined it's existence. It was this book and NOT Dr. Sydney Friedman, of M*A*S*H fame that can be credited with the gem, "Ladies and Gentlemen take my advice, take off your pants and slide on the ice." Among other things, this book shaped and validated my sense of humor.

I read this book at least 100 times and I still love it to this day, 26 years later.