"May there always be sunshine. May there always be blue skies. May there always be Mama. May there always be me." The first four lines of May There Always Be Sunshine are from a traditional Russian Folk song of the same title; the rest of the book consists of thoughts that children have shared with author and award-winning children's performer Jim Gill over the years regarding things they hope will 'always be'. Gill features different versions of the song May There Always Be Sunshine in two of his albums, all of his live performances, and at the end of each of his classes. In book form for the first time, May There Always Be Sunshine is the winner of the 2002 Book Award from Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum. The pictures are oil on canvas, perfectly emulating the joyful simplicity of the words and song; the brush strokes are visible, the lines are not perfect, and beautiful bright colors contrast the white backgrounds. The pictures speak for themselves and only a single line of bold black print lines the bottom of each page. If you don't own a Jim Gill CD with this song on it (get one, you won't regret it!), the sheet music for the melody is also printed in the first page of the book to supply the tune.
Gill wrote that he created this book "with the hope that parents and teachers might help young children create their own books based on this simple and beautiful song." This book can be different each time you read it, as the main idea behind it is that everyone's ideas are legitimate and worthy of attention and consideration. Encourage your little one to really open up and share what they want to 'always be' in the world, and then sing the song or read the book with their new verses added. If they have trouble getting started, the final page of the book is filled with additional ideas children have given Gill. You can also hum the tune for your child until they have it down pat, and then have one of you hum while the other fills in the words. Or you could surprise them by filling in their name, or the name of someone in your family, in a 'surprise' verse at the end. Children love it when their names are included in songs!
My three-year-old friend, Sam, loved flipping through the book. After he listened to this song on one of his Jim Gill CDs a few times and had memorized the tune, he actually turned it off and sung it for me as he flipped the pages. He can't read, but the words are the same line each time with just one word changed, so he understood the concept behind it. I asked Sam what he wishes there would always be in the world and he came back with, "dinosaurs, dogs, spaghetti, Legos, and orange juice." It's always nice to know what your friends hold dearest.
--Audra